The naivety of the PAP government

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Directors at 2 firms allegedly teamed up to cheat MND, which was duped of about $260k​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

July 6, 2023

SINGAPORE – The directors of two firms allegedly worked together in or around 2015 to cheat the Ministry of National Development (MND), which was said to have been duped into paying one of them about $260,000.
Tan Kia Lim, 66, and Choo Chiang Wei, 48, were each charged with one count of cheating on Thursday.
Choo also faces more than 60 charges of forgery for the purpose of cheating.
At the time, Tan was a director of Kim Yew Integrated, which provides electrical works, mechanical servicing and integrated facilities management systems.
A search with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) on Thursday revealed that Tan stopped being a shareholder of Kim Yew Integrated in 2017 and a director in 2021.
He was also a director of a firm that MND had engaged for mechanical and electrical maintenance works.
According to court documents, it used to be known as Kim Yew Electrical & Sanitary.

The Singapore Business Review reported in 2018 that commercial services company Sodexo had acquired the firm, which was renamed Sodexo Kim Yew.
Choo is a director and shareholder of another firm called Trees Trading & Engineering, which was subcontracted by Kim Yew Electrical and Sanitary for works undertaken at the MND building in Maxwell Road.
Choo also used to own three other businesses – Club 218 Pub and KTV, Lliquid and Yeh Hai Enterprise.
The two men allegedly conspired to cheat MND by dishonestly concealing that Kim Yew Electrical & Sanitary had a discount arrangement with Trees Trading and Engineering for some works performed for the ministry.
As a result, MND was said to have been dishonestly induced to deliver payments to Kim Yew Electrical & Sanitary.
The police said in a statement on Thursday that Choo is also accused of conspiring with his staff to forge 67 quotations in the name of other subcontractors for the purpose of cheating MND.
Choo’s case has been adjourned to July 27, while Tan’s case will be mentioned again in court on Aug 17.
For cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
Offenders convicted of forgery for the purpose of cheating will receive a similar punishment for each charge.

 

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Government has right to terminate funding for SPH Media if wrongdoings are found: Josephine Teo​

The Government will intervene if there is misconduct or mismanagement of public funding, said Mrs Josephine Teo. PHOTO: MCI

Jean Iau

July 7, 2023

SINGAPORE – The Government will step in and has the right to terminate funding for SPH Media Trust (SMT) if misconduct or mismanagement of public funding and serious wrongdoings are found in the future.
Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo told Parliament on Thursday that the first tranche of funding to SMT was disbursed in March.
She pointed out that this was after the events described in a report on investigations that found that Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) had overstated its circulation figures. There was no public funding involved then.
Mrs Teo was responding to six MPs and Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai who filed questions on SMT following a report by the organisation’s audit and risk committee published on June 21, which found that SPH had overstated its daily circulation numbers, among other findings.
Mrs Teo said the Government will intervene if there is misconduct or mismanagement of public funding.
“In this regard, we have built in safeguards that allow the Government to conduct our own ad hoc audits. If serious wrongdoings are found, we have the right to terminate funding.”

The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) will also be reviewing the terms of the funding agreement, including the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the amount of funding at the mid-term juncture, she added.


The findings by SMT’s committee concluded that some of the matters could constitute offences. A police report has since been filed.
The committee’s report also listed ways SMT will improve its internal controls and enhance its risk management. They include commissioning external parties to look at its governance, control and compliance.
Mrs Teo said on Thursday that MCI is committed to working with SMT to overcome the challenges of disruption caused by readership moving online and succeed in its transformation plans.

The Government will continue funding SMT at the amounts it has committed to, she added.
In February 2022, Mrs Teo told Parliament that SMT will receive funding of up to $180 million annually over the next five years.
She said on Thursday that even with dozens of news sources easily available, audiences in Singapore consistently turn to the mainstream media when they need something they can trust.
Citing the Digital News Report 2023 by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Mrs Teo said that trust levels in all the SMT’s major titles remained much higher than the global average, with 73 per cent of respondents expressing trust in The Straits Times. This was up by three percentage points from 2022.
This is against the backdrop of the erosion of trust in news globally, from an already modest 42 per cent in 2022 to 40 per cent in 2023.
“Trusted news media made possible by quality journalism is a public good we cannot compromise on. It is more important than ever when the environment is full of disinformation and sensationalised news,” said Mrs Teo.
She noted that the challenge is even more pronounced for vernacular publications, which have smaller readerships, yet it is critical to preserve them. “They are an essential part of our multicultural society and unique identity, and give voice to our ethnic communities.”


On the circulation report, she said the Government acknowledges SMT’s seriousness in investigating the concerns and making the findings public.
The matter is now before the police and the focus should be on ensuring that SMT discharges its public duties responsibly on an ongoing basis, she added.
This, however, does not mean that the Government has no additional expectations of SMT in light of the circulation incident.
Mrs Teo added that at the leadership level, the management and board have demonstrated commitment to changing legacy practices. The Government expects SMT to persist in addressing internal weaknesses and systematically follow up on the required changes, she said.

The minister noted that the circulation data issue emerged because SMT was conducting its own review and due diligence following the transfer of the media business from SPH Limited in December 2021.
She said the Government welcomed the plans SMT has set in motion, including instituting internationally accepted benchmarks and extensively reviewing its governance and control measures.
“This is an ongoing process, and MCI will work closely with SMT to ensure these measures are implemented,” she added.
Mr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast GRC) asked if the funding formula for SMT involved circulation numbers as a KPI, or if there was a KPI for SMT to increase circulation. He also asked why the names of the company and the staff involved in the potential offences were not released to the public.
Mrs Teo said that circulation is no longer as relevant as media moves online. It is not circulation that matters but reach, which measures how often people come into contact with the contents of a particular title.
“The KPIs, therefore, that we have included in the funding arrangement include the total reach and engagement of SMT’s full range of products with a focus on their digital platforms because... the whole purpose for funding SMT is to ensure that the digital transformation is successful,” she said.
SMT is required to submit regular reports on its KPI performance, which must also be independently audited, and if the KPI targets are not met, the amount of funding will be impacted, said Mrs Teo.
She noted that the full set of findings, including the names of the companies and the people involved, were released to the police.
“As to who will eventually have to be held liable under the law, these things will need to take their natural course. It is for the relevant authorities, after they have completed their investigations, to determine what information to publicly disclose and when to do so, so as not to affect the outcome of the investigations, so that will be something that has to be left to a later date,” said Mrs Teo.
MP Hany Soh (Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC) asked if public confidence and reach in SMT titles have been affected since the details of SPH’s circulation incident came to light.
Mrs Teo said that in her engagements with SMT, the company was concerned about this.
She believes it is why SMT took pains to conduct a thorough investigation and make the findings public.
Since SMT is now receiving public funding, it will be held accountable and scrutinised both by the MCI as well as by the public, she added. MCI will rely on independent reports such as those carried out by Reuters, but also have its own studies.
“This accountability in relation to funding will include the extent to which SMT has been successful in its transformation, especially towards digital media. It will also be held accountable for maintaining trust.”

 

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Training provider sues SkillsFuture for not paying out $1.4m in grants​

The company is suing SkillsFuture Singapore for breach of contract and wrongful termination. PHOTO: ST FILE

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

July 27, 2023

SINGAPORE - A training provider has sued SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) for not paying out more than $1.4m in grants, after the government agency terminated its contract to provide funding for the courses the company had conducted.
The Centre for Competency-Based Learning and Development (CBLD) is suing for breach of contract and wrongful termination.
The centre provides courses on cleaning hard floor surfaces, washrooms or carpets, and courses on providing quality customer service, among others.
It offers training to employees of companies which pay a small fraction of the full training fee. It would then apply to SSG for a grant to cover the remaining fee.
SSG denied that the company was entitled to the sum it was claiming.
The agency provides funding to subsidise the costs of conducting and attending eligible training courses.
It said it terminated the contract after its investigations into the company’s training practices revealed discrepancies that could not merely be dismissed as “administrative errors” or “minor inaccuracies”.

SSG said there were large discrepancies between the number of hours attended by the trainees and the number recorded on attendance sheets. Some trainees said the signatures on the attendance sheets were not theirs.
One trainee said she attended two half-hour sessions at a coffee shop, while the attendance sheet stated she attended 47 hours of training.
The agency has also counterclaimed against CBLD to claw back about $793,000 in grants it had earlier disbursed to the company.

An 11-day trial to hear the case started in the High Court on Thursday.
In 2007, the company entered into a SkillsConnect contract with SSG, for the agency to award training grants to CBLD.
CBLD said SSG had initially approved its claims for more than $1.4 million, in relation to classes conducted over nine months. It said the sum would have been paid out if the contract had not been terminated.
SSG said that between April 2020 and July 2020, it called trainees over the phone to find out more about the courses. The agency said the trainees said the information submitted by CBLD in its claims was “untrue, inaccurate and incomplete”.
On Oct 16, 2020, the agency served a notice on the company, stating its intention to terminate the contract.

In response, the company submitted its own internal investigation report on Nov 13, 2020. The report included declaration forms purportedly signed by 184 trainees, in which all but one said they had attended the full duration of the courses.
SSG was of the view that the report was not a sufficient explanation. In December 2020, it conducted face-to-face interviews with 14 trainees.
One trainee said she did not attend any training nor did she sign any of the attendance sheets but felt pressured to sign a declaration that she attended the courses.
On March 25, 2021, SSG terminated the contract and demanded CBLD return the sum of $793,083.79 it had disbursed.
SSG relied on a clause stipulating that it could terminate the contract on the basis of its opinion that CBLD was “guilty of gross moral turpitude”.
CBLD, which is represented by Mr Keith Hsu of Emerald Law, argued that the termination was wrongful as the company had not breached this clause.
The company said it intends to show that it was not guilty of gross moral turpitude, and that minor administrative lapses should not have led SSG to form the opinion that it was.
It argued that even if SSG was right in forming the opinion, the clause was unfair and should not be enforceable.
SSG, which is represented by Mr Cheong Chee Min of Lee & Lee, said the terms of the contract were drafted against the backdrop that grants are disbursed from public funds and the agency has to guard against fraud and abuse.
The agency argued that it was not obliged to provide funds and that the award of a grant is subject to terms and conditions.
SSG said it was of the opinion that CBLD had deceived or attempted to deceive the agency.

 

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Auditor-General finds SkillsFuture Singapore overpaid $4.22m, has yet to collect $43m in levies​

SkillsFuture Singapore overpaid an estimated $4.22 million due to lapses in the management of its grants, said the Auditor-General's Office. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Hariz Baharudin
Assistant News Editor


JUL 20, 2022


SINGAPORE - The government agency in charge of lifelong learning here had overpaid an estimated $4.22 million due to lapses in the management of its grants, said the Auditor-General's Office (AGO).
In its annual audit of government accounts, the AGO also flagged that SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) was lax in enforcing the collection of Skills Development Levy (SDL) funds from 2015 to 2020, resulting in an estimated $43 million owed to the agency as at April this year.
The AGO detailed these and other findings in a report released on Wednesday (July 20) on government accounts for the 2021/2022 financial year.
It issued an unmodified audit opinion on the government's financial statements, as well as those of three statutory boards, four government-owned companies and two other accounts. This means it was satisfied with the financial statements audited, and that the statements met requirements and were prepared in accordance with accounting standards.
The AGO also carried out selective audits of four statutory boards and three government funds whose books were audited by external parties.
In the case of SSG, the AGO pinpointed several reasons for the lapses in grant management, including inadequate monitoring to ensure grants were given out to those eligible and insufficient checks by service providers on claims filed by training providers.
Grants were also disbursed to individuals and companies that were not allowed funding due to reasons like suspected fraud.

The AGO also said it "observed laxity" in enforcement by SkillsFuture in collecting skills development levies - a compulsory levy that all employers have to pay for all employees here to support workforce upgrading programmes.
"AGO is of the view that SSG was tardy in its enforcement actions and did not put in adequate effort to conduct audits of employers which potentially owed significant amounts of SDL," it added.
AGO also said it had audited the whole-of-government period contract and framework agreement on creative services for communications campaigns that was administered by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), after it received complaints.

Under the agreement, public sector agencies can procure creative services from a panel of vendors, and at prices evaluated by MCI.
The AGO noted that MCI did not get approval from the appropriate authority for variation in this contract – the agreement had been approved at a value of $174 million for three years from October 2018.
The contract was subsequently extended by six months, but the total procurement made under the agreement as at Dec 31, 2021 was $322.74 million, nearly twice the initial approved value.

In response, MCI said part of the increase was due to the surge in communications campaigns such as for the Merdeka Generation Package and Covid-19 related communications on vaccination, jobs and safe management measures, which could not have been accounted for in 2018.
AGO also said that when MCI called a tender to appoint the vendors, it did not clearly state the unit of measurement for certain items that tenderers were supposed to quote for.
This led to different vendors using different units of measurement when public agencies procured their services – for instance, some vendors used “per man-hour” to measure manpower services instead of “per person” as MCI had intended.
During the tender evaluation, "MCI did not ascertain whether the tenderers had quoted on a like-for-like basis for items where quotes submitted by tenderers varied significantly", said AGO.
It flagged how the highest rates submitted by tenderers were 43 times to 92 times the lowest rates for some items. For instance, one tenderer submitted a bid of $900 for an item while another put in a bid of $82,800, or 92 times more, for the same item.
AGO added that the ministry did not monitor the spread of the $322.47 million worth of contracts awarded to the 39 vendors on the panel.
The top vendor was awarded 38 per cent of the total value, or $124.06 million, and the next two highest vendors getting 7 per cent ($22.90 million) and 6 per cent ($20.04 million) respectively.
For the top six public sector agencies by procurement value which tapped on the MCI framework, AGO noted that the same top vendor in the panel accounted for 14 per cent to 95 per cent of the awards made by these agencies.
The AGO stressed the importance of having a good spread of contracts to encourage vendors to bid for future tenders, and in turn ensure public agencies can continue to enjoy competitive prices in the long run.
MCI had consulted the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on the concentration risk, said AGO. "MOF’s view is that the inclusion of multiple vendors in demand aggregation contracts is to cater to the wide variety of needs that public sector agencies may have.
"If the high concentration of awards to a particular vendor on the panel is a result of the vendor being able to provide goods/services at a suitable pricing that best meet public sector agencies’ needs, this is not a negative outcome."
However, MCI has agreed that it was important to have a good spread of business opportunities in the creative services industry and to build up the experience and expertise of more industry players in government communications.


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National water agency PUB also had lapses in how it assessed cost reasonableness of third-party items for campaigns, among others, the AGO said.
In its audit of the Ministry of Social and Family Development's (MSF) Community Care (ComCare) Endowment Fund, the AGO found lapses in control over cash and supermarket vouchers at two social service offices.
Officers there did not carry out the required checks on cash and supermarket vouchers, but signed off the logbooks indicating they had done so.
The checks were important as they served as independent checks on another officer, who had sole custody of the key and passcode to the safe containing the cash and supermarket vouchers, said AGO.
The AGO also uncovered management lapses in MSF's social service network system, which is used to administer ComCare assistance schemes.
It said there were delays in removing unneeded accounts for 60 per cent of the accounts that it test-checked.
"Not promptly removing unneeded accounts and their access rights may result in unauthorised activities such as changes to quantum of assistance given to applicants," said AGO. "Information on ComCare applicants and beneficiaries could also be compromised."

MOF, SSG respond to AGO​

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Wednesday said it takes a serious view of AGO’s observations, and the leaders of the agencies concerned have reviewed each case to identify what caused the lapses and are taking steps to address them.
“The relevant agencies have initiated remedial steps, such as to recover excess funds disbursed and strengthen the management of contracts. We will also continue to share good practices to improve standards in public agencies,” MOF said.
It also stressed that the Government has no tolerance for fraud and corruption. A spokesman for SSG said the lapses resulting in overpayments had occurred between April 1, 2018 and June 30 last year.
SSG had determined the eligibility of applicants and training providers for grants and made payments based in part on declarations they made, she said.

Some of these declarations were wrong or inaccurate, and not all were picked up by internal checks, she added.
The spokesman said other errors had occurred during the manual processing of grants, including those made by SSG’s service provider.
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SSG has since taken “immediate corrective action” and all cases highlighted by the AGO have been followed up on, said the spokesman.
The agency has reached out to affected training providers, companies and individuals to recover 93 per cent of the overpaid amount, she noted. Pending internal checks, the agency will contact the rest of the entities by the end of the month.
On the SDL funds, the SSG spokesman said the gap between the estimated levy payable and the actual payments has fallen from 18 per cent of the overall levies collected in 2008 to the current 3 to 4 per cent. But it added that a more effective system is needed to ensure that employers pay SDL promptly and accurately.
She added that all public sector agencies have paid in full their estimated underpayments to companies.

 

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Forum: Unpleasant consequences of supermarkets’ plastic bag charge​

AUG 18, 2023


The move by supermarkets to charge for plastic bags is leading to more unsanitary and unhygienic Housing Board estates and rubbish chutes.
In the Toa Payoh HDB estate where I live, unbagged waste is being thrown into rubbish chutes, leading to foul smells. Relatives who live in other estates have the same problem.
Supermarkets and their customers are also impacted by the plastic bag rule. Customers without their own bags and who do not want to pay for the bags can be seen walking home carrying bulky food items. Others resort to stuffing their pockets with the plastic bags meant for packing fresh produce.
At self-service checkout counters, other customers and cashiers have at times given me long, hard stares whenever I carry five to 10 plastic bags during my grocery shopping trips. Once at a supermarket, three cashiers in five minutes accused me of stealing eight plastic shopping bags that I had paid for. They apologised after I showed them my receipt.
Instead of making the world greener, the new plastic move is creating new problems. People are helping themselves to the bags meant for produce, while those who buy the bags are looked on with suspicion.
There is a better solution. Disposable, biodegradable bags made from corn starch and lactic acid have been available since the 1990s. They have much smaller carbon footprints than either plastic or even fabric bags.

Eric J. Brooks

 

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Woman jailed 27 months for defrauding former Workforce Development Agency​

Elaine Lee

AUG 22, 2023

SINGAPORE - A woman was sentenced to 27 months’ jail on Friday for defrauding the former Workforce Development Agency (WDA) in relation to a funding scheme.
Liu Mei Ying, who was a sole director and shareholder of two training providers – Derma Floral Beauty Academy and Derma Floral Beauty – was on July 3 convicted of 27 fraud-related charges after a trial, the police said on Saturday.
She was also the sole proprietor of Beaux Ex Bellus Trading. The companies are collectively known as Derma Floral Group.
Liu has appealed against the conviction and sentence.
Under WDA’s funding scheme, companies and registered businesses could apply online for training grants to fund their employees’ participation in courses run by approved training providers. The scheme was aimed at encouraging employers to upgrade their employees’ skills by helping to defray training costs.
For WDA to disburse any grant, a participant must fulfil 75 per cent of the required course attendance. For the agency to disburse the absentee payroll grant, the participant must be an employee of the applicant company for the entire course duration. An absentee payroll grant helps an employer defray the manpower cost incurred when it sends an employee for training.
Between December 2011 and July 2013, Liu instigated her employee, Lau Pin Lin, to carry out a series of fraudulent acts in relation to the scheme.

These included deceiving WDA into disbursing $62,983.77 in training grants to Derma Floral Group and two companies that sent their employees for training at Liu’s company. False information about trainees from Liu’s company was submitted to WDA online.
Lau made eight online submissions to WDA, falsely stating that six trainees of eight courses conducted by Derma Floral Group had attended at least 75 per cent of their respective course hours for these eight courses.
Liu instigated Lau to conceal the fraud by creating sham documents and submitting some of them to WDA during its audit of the training grants disbursed to Derma Floral Group.
Liu also instigated Lau to cheat WDA into consenting to Derma Floral Beauty Academy and Derma Floral Beauty retaining the training grants earlier disbursed to them by submitting eight sets of attendance records to WDA falsely showing that two trainees had attended at least 75 per cent of two courses.
Lau was convicted on Aug 23, 2019, after pleading guilty to her offences in this series of fraud. On Sept 13, 2019, she was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail.
WDA was reconstituted in 2016 into two statutory boards, Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

 

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Jail for dentist who made false Medisave claims to dupe CPF into delivering $11,750 to him​

John Sun, who used to be known as Sng Wee Hock, committed the offences in 2014 when he was the director and practising dentist of WH Dental & Associates clinics. PHOTO: ST FILE

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Aug 28, 2023

SINGAPORE – A dentist who made false MediSave claims and induced the Central Provident Fund (CPF) board to deliver $11,750 to him was given three years and a month’s jail by a judge on Monday.
John Sun, 50, who was convicted in April of seven counts each of cheating and forgery, made the claims linked to seven patients over procedures that were not performed, including foreign body removal (FBR) and autogenous bone graft (ABG).
Sun, 50, who used to be known as Sng Wee Hock, committed the offences in 2014 when he was the director and practising dentist of WH Dental & Associates clinics.
He also forged documents linked to three of the seven patients.
Following a trial, Deputy Presiding Judge Christopher Tan had given Sun a discharge amounting to an acquittal to 10 other similar charges. This means he cannot be charged over the same offences again.
Two other cheating charges were also withdrawn, and he was given a similar discharge over them.
In their submissions, deputy public prosecutors Suhas Malhotra and Gerald Tan said that the forged documents were photographs of radiographs – images produced by equipment such as X-ray machines.

The prosecutors added that the forged photographs were meant to dupe the Ministry of Health into believing that the procedures in the claims had been performed. This was done to cheat the ministry during a professional MediSave audit of Sun’s dental firm, which had branches in Hougang, The Seletar Mall and Punggol Field.
Sun was represented by a team of lawyers from Martin & Partners – Senior Counsel Roderick Martin, Mr Marshall Lim, Mr Gideon Yap and Mr Joshua Tan. Lawyer Daniel Atticus Xu from Exodus Law Corporation was the instructing solicitor.
In their submissions, the prosecutors had earlier told the court that Sun made false MediSave claims for two procedures – FBR and ABG.

They added that the affected patients only wanted implants, which they received. They did not want or consent to any FBR or ABG procedures.
The prosecutors told Judge Tan: “They did not discuss the risks or benefits of procedures with the accused, cost and payment terms were... not discussed, the patients do not recall undergoing any FBR or ABG procedures and none of the patients suffered from any post-operative wounds associated with these procedures.”
Sun also did not perform any preparatory steps, such as capturing images, that were necessary for these procedures, said the prosecutors.
They also said that FBRs are extremely rare and that the National Dental Centre rarely conducts them.
The prosecutors added: “Yet, the accused somehow conducted (multiple) FBR procedures in a single calendar year. There is no evidence in the accused’s records of what the purported foreign bodies removed were, or how they got lodged in the patient’s mouth.”

Two doctors, who were the prosecution’s experts, had said that FBRs are more commonly employed in vehicle trauma accidents where glass becomes lodged in a patient’s mouth.
One of the doctors estimated that the National Dental Centre only saw one non-vehicle trauma foreign body case in the past few years.
The prosecutors said that against the backdrop of this expert evidence, the FBR claims originating from WH Dental were patently false.
Meanwhile, an ABG refers to a procedure involving the harvesting and grafting of the patient’s own bone. In the dental context, an ABG is done to harvest bone from one site and graft it onto an implant site.
The prosecutors said that this is a complex surgery involving bone removal and wounds that had to be closed with stitches. However, Sun’s affected patients did not recall wounds, pain or swelling following their purported ABGs.
As for his forgery charges, the prosecutors said that the alterations to some of the photo prints are patently fake, adding: “These are palpably poor and amateurish forgeries.”
Sun intends to appeal, and his bail was set at $120,000 on Monday.

 

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Company director gets 20 months’ jail, $1.52m penalty for offences related to Iras scheme​

Samuel Devaraj

AUG 30, 2023

SINGAPORE - A director of multiple companies was sentenced to 20 months’ jail and ordered to pay a penalty of $1,520,800 on Tuesday for offences committed in relation to a scheme that is meant to encourage businesses to invest in productivity and innovation.
Sofian Osman, 43, pleaded guilty to nine charges of committing fraud in representing that several companies had incurred qualifying expenditure, so the firms could obtain cash payouts under the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) Scheme. The offences were committed between 2014 and 2017.
For these charges, cash payouts and bonuses totalling $430,600 were given by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) to the various claimants as a result of the fraudulent claims.
Sofian, who had another 16 similar charges taken into consideration for sentencing, had committed the offences with an accomplice, Muhammad Iskandar Abd Hakim, who was sentenced in July 2022.
Sofian was jailed for eight months and two weeks and ordered to pay $261,600 in penalties in April for a separate charge related to the same scheme.
Under the PIC Scheme, businesses can convert qualifying expenditure of up to $100,000 into a non-taxable cash payout of a percentage of the expenditure across different qualifying activities per year. The activities include investment in design projects and the acquisition and leasing of certain IT and automation equipment.
An additional cash bonus was also introduced, which allows businesses that invested a minimum of $5,000 per year in qualifying activities to receive a dollar-for-dollar matching cash bonus of up to $15,000.

Sofian, the director or de facto director of four companies – Supreme App, Elegance Systems, Ideal Secretarial & Consultancy Services and 3SI Technologies – was in charge of invoicing and all other finance-related aspects of the companies.
Iskandar was in charge of providing IT services to clients.
Iras senior tax prosecutor Andre Ong said Sofian and Iskandar had jointly conceived the idea to assist claimants to make fraudulent claims with the statutory board.

The duo conspired with the claimants to make these fraudulent claims, even though they knew that none of them had incurred any of the qualifying expenditure stated on their respective forms.
They told the representatives of the claimants that they could obtain IT products for their companies without paying a single cent, and even obtain cash from the Government under the scheme.
If the claimants accepted their offer, either Sofian or Iskandar would deposit cash into the claimants’ bank accounts based on the qualifying expenditure they intended to state on the PIC Scheme form.

They then would instruct the claimants to issue a cheque for the same or similar amount, or arrange for similar payment, payable to them or their companies.
After they did so, Sofian or Iskandar would then encash the cheque into one of their companys’ accounts or withdraw the money to create a false payment trail to show that the qualifying expenditure had been incurred.
The claimants did not actually pay for the PIC Scheme items that they presented as the qualifying expenditure on their forms.
The claimants would then submit the fraudulent forms to Iras to claim the cash payouts or bonuses, or Sofian or Iskandar would do this on their behalf.
When the claimants obtained the successful payouts or bonuses from Iras, they paid a percentage to the two men or their companies.
“This scheme granted the claimants with IT products provided by the companies at essentially zero or near-zero costs,” said Mr Ong, who added that Sofian has not made any restitution.

 

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“Most passengers will comply when they are told,” said Mr Lim, although he added that there is little bus captains can do if passengers do not.

Why do some Singaporeans behave badly on public buses and what can bus captains do?​

LTA said behaviour such as putting one’s feet on the bus seat is not only unhygienic, but could also deprive another commuter of a seat. PHOTOS: STOMP

Elaine Lee

SEP 14, 2023

SINGAPORE – Mr J. Kong was travelling home on bus service 157 in August when he saw an elderly man put his feet up on the seat opposite him.
The 38-year-old senior paralegal told The Straits Times he was aghast at the “unhygienic” and “inconsiderate” act.
Noticing that the passenger seated next to the old man looked visibly uncomfortable, Mr Kong told him to put his feet down.
“But instead of doing so, the man told me that he could put his leg up as long as he was not wearing shoes,” said Mr Kong. “I was surprised by his reaction because most folks would apologise and proceed to put their feet down from the seats.”
Stunned and unsure what else he could do, Mr Kong whipped out his mobile phone and snapped a photo of the man, and then sent it to citizen journalism website Stomp.
“At the end of the day, what can commuters do besides Stomping?” he asked. “I’ve not informed bus captains about these incidents before. But if I do, what are they able to do? I feel that it is important that commuters are willing to voice out on such matters so that we can make a difference.”
Mr Kong’s unpleasant experience is one of the many shared by frustrated Singaporeans on Stomp and various social media platforms, involving inconsiderate commuters on the public bus.


On Stomp alone, there have been 40 instances of such behaviour since the start of the year, with half of these coming since the start of July.
In some cases, things can even get physical. One commuter, who wanted to be known only as Mr Low, said he was attacked after he took a photo of a man putting his bare feet up on a seat on service 961 on Aug 19.
“I was under the assumption that if I acted like I was taking a photo, he would feel a bit ‘paiseh’ (Hokkien for ashamed) and put his feet down,” said the 54-year-old trader, adding that he eventually did take a photo.

“The man confronted me after a few minutes and even demanded for my phone as he thought I was snapping several pictures of him. Although I did not (take multiple pictures), he started hitting my head and neck.”
Mr Low later made a police report, and the police told ST that they are looking into the matter.
“In hindsight, I should have informed the bus captain of the man’s behaviour instead of taking a photo or, as advised by the police, called them immediately when I was getting hit,” said Mr Low.
Playful children can also be a danger to themselves and others on the public commute, said another commuter, Mr Boniface Da Luz.
The 57-year-old sent photos of a boy swinging on the handrails of a crowded bus to Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Sept 1.
“As a parent myself, this behaviour is unacceptable as he did not take into consideration people around him, and his guardian did not constantly try to stop him from swinging around,” said Mr Da Luz, who felt the bus captain should have done something about the situation.

One commuter felt that children playing on buses is unacceptable and can pose a safety hazard to others. PHOTO: COMPLAINT SINGAPORE
Bus operators that ST spoke to said their bus captains are trained to advise passengers to be considerate towards other commuters.
SBS Transit spokeswoman Grace Wu said: “Whenever (our bus captains are) aware of or alerted to a situation, they will advise the passenger to stop the act immediately.
“If the passenger refuses to cooperate, they will contact our operations control centre to report the incident and seek guidance on the course of action to take. This can, unfortunately, cause delay to the journeys.”
Mrs Wu added that there are also posters on board buses to promote gracious and considerate behaviour, and these messages are reiterated to the public through school talks and organised visits to the operator’s bus interchanges and MRT stations throughout the year.
SMRT Buses’ deputy managing director Vincent Gay said that in cases where commuters who behave in an inconsiderate or unruly manner remain uncooperative despite being advised, its bus captains can seek police assistance through its operations control centre as a last resort.

There are posters on board SBS buses to promote gracious and considerate behaviour among commuters. PHOTO: SBS TRANSIT
Tower Transit’s director of communications and customer experience Glenn Lim said its bus captains will approach passengers propping their feet up on seats and point out signs prominently displayed telling them not to do so, and ask them to put their feet down.
“Most passengers will comply when they are told,” said Mr Lim, although he added that there is little bus captains can do if passengers do not.
Another bus operator, Go-Ahead Singapore, said stickers were introduced in 2019 to inform passengers not to put their feet up on seats.

In response to queries, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said behaviour such as putting one’s feet on the bus seat is not only unhygienic, but could also deprive another commuter of a seat.
“Signs have already been put up to discourage such behaviour,” the agency added. “LTA will continue to work with public transport operators to encourage gracious commuting and behaviour.”
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng said he seeks commuters’ cooperation, when travelling on the trains and buses, to be more considerate towards one another, so that fellow passengers can have a pleasant commuting experience as well.
“I am glad that our commuters are comfortable taking our public transport... Fellow commuters could politely remind any commuters displaying such inconsiderate behaviour not to do so.”

 

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$6m worth of milk powder, goods allegedly stolen by ex-KTPH employee; Police investigating​

An internal investigation found that stocks were taken from a storeroom in Yishun Community Hospital between 2014 and 2022. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

Joyce Lim
Senior Correspondent

OCT 3, 2023

SINGAPORE – The police are investigating a former senior staff member of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) who allegedly stole at least $6 million worth of goods including milk powder, and sold them to third parties over a span of eight years.
The alleged theft came to light after a member of the public alerted the National Heathcare Group (NHG) in June 2022 to suspicious activity involving the sale of milk feeds on online marketplace Shopee, with stocks bearing the address label of Yishun Community Hospital (YCH).
An internal investigation by KTPH subsequently found that about $5.5 million worth of stocks including milk powder, supplements and underpad protectors – which the hospital paid for – were taken from a storeroom in YCH between 2014 and 2022. These goods had an estimated collective retail price of at least $6 million.
In September 2022, KTPH sued former senior retail executive Ray Choo Tiong Hian to recover at least $6 million in losses it had suffered. He had worked at the hospital from February 2008 till his dismissal in June 2022.
Court documents filed by KTPH accused Mr Choo, 42, of removing the hospital’s stocks, or directing other staff to do so. The hospital did not receive any payment for those goods.
It also obtained a Mareva injunction against Mr Choo to freeze his assets, up to a value of $6 million.
KTPH, represented by lawyers from Cairnhill Law, was subsequently awarded a default judgment last November for the sum of $5.6 million with interest against Mr Choo for breaching his contractual and or fiduciary duties.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police confirmed that a report had been lodged and investigations are ongoing.
Mr Choo could not be reached for comment.
Professor Chua Hong Choon, chief executive of KTPH, told ST that the hospital’s management promptly made a police report when it was first alerted to the incident. “We are in the process of enforcing the court’s judgment to retrieve the misappropriated funds. As the police investigation is still ongoing, we are unable to reveal further details,” he said.

Prof Chua stressed that the hospital has zero tolerance for staff misconduct and is extremely disappointed by the actions of its former employee. He added that the NHG has commissioned an independent review of hospital operations to prevent such incidents from happening again.
KTPH’s statement of claim noted that Mr Choo was hired to set up Able Studio, a sub-unit of the hospital’s retail pharmacy department, to sell a wide range of medical products and accessories that meet the geriatric and rehabilitation needs of recovering patients, such as milk powder and diapers.
Mr Choo designed Able Studio from scratch, including planning and implementing its operational processes, as well as how it would procure, sell and deliver goods.
His job scope also included reviewing the inventory process, setting up the inventory area, standardising the billing process and conducting the annual inventory stocktake.

KTPH claimed that as part of Mr Choo’s modus operandi, he would inform the Able Studio team of purported corporate orders from third-party buyers verbally or via e-mail or WhatsApp messages.
Mr Choo would arrange for the relevant goods to be delivered to, or collected from, various third-party buyers via WhatsApp or phone calls.
He would either take the stock from the existing inventory from YCH’s storeroom, or raise a purchase order with the hospital’s supplier for the relevant goods to be delivered to the storeroom.
The hospital also noted in its court filings that Mr Choo had set up a system where goods taken from the storeroom would be recorded manually, with the person who made the collection signing on a hardcopy record file.
Mr Choo would later manually deduct the stock from the hospital’s electronic stock management system. On some occasions, the electronic update would be carried out by other employees. Mr Choo was careful to ensure that the electronic records of stock tallied with the physical stocks in the storeroom, noted the court documents.
KTPH said the third-party buyers of the “stolen goods” included Bion Advance, Seniorcare and an individual named Tan Joo Par.
Mr Choo allegedly got the various third-party buyers to pay him for the stolen goods, instead of the hospital. He was also accused of forging invoices using the hospital’s letterhead on several occasions.
KTPH said Mr Choo was the most senior employee it had put in charge of and entrusted with setting up Able Studio.
As a result of his position, he was privy to highly confidential information such as the goods suppliers, costs and retail prices of the goods, and their availability in the hospital inventory.
As the most senior employee, Mr Choo had “the power to make certain decisions”, including to direct the employees in charge of the Able Studio storeroom to release any amount of goods to a third-party buyer, on the basis that he would arrange for an invoice to be issued to the buyer on the company’s behalf at a later date. This “put him in a position to act for his own interests” at the company’s expense, said KTPH.
Mr Choo did not attend a disciplinary inquiry session held by KTPH on June 17. The Board of Inquiry concluded that he was guilty of misconduct, and he was dismissed on the same day.

 

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Tuition centre owner jailed over bogus claims for $126k in grants under government assistance scheme​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

OCT 4, 2023

SINGAPORE – The owner of a tuition centre created seven phantom trainees and submitted 63 fraudulent claims to obtain grants totalling $126,749 under a government initiative aimed at helping people improve their employability during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gerard Lim Jian Rong, 36, was sentenced to 22 months’ jail on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to four counts of cheating and a forgery charge. Six other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Lim abused the SGUnited Traineeships Programme (SGUT), which the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Workforce Singapore agency introduced in March 2020 to help trainees develop industry-relevant skills amid the weaker hiring climate during the pandemic.
The prosecutor said trainees under the programme were usually fresh graduates, and Success.Nat Tutorial Centre, which Lim owns, was a host organisation under the initiative.
Lim duped the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which was managing and administering the programme, into disbursing the grants to the centre after submitting the details of people who were not trainees at the centre.
At the time, he was the principal of Success.Nat and its key decision-maker, and was also responsible for its day-to-day operations, which Deputy Public Prosecutor Edwin Soh said included planning classes and hiring tutors.
As a host organisation, the firm would administer programmes and pay trainees a monthly allowance.

The DPP told the court that a host organisation could obtain a training grant of 80 per cent of the monthly training allowance paid to its trainees.
This grant would be disbursed by SBF, but the monies for these grants were public funds from MOM’s budget.
Among other things, the host organisation must send supporting documents such as payment slips to SBF every month to claim the training allowance grants.


SBF would then assess and approve the claims before disbursing the monies.
Lim hatched a plan to dupe SBF into disbursing training allowance grants to Success.Nat.

He placed job advertisements for the role of teaching and curriculum executive on several portals, with the hashtag “#SGUnited Traineeships”.
Those who were interested in applying for this role would contact Lim and e-mail him their resumes, NRIC details and academic transcripts.
The DPP said: “The accused would not respond... as he had no intention of onboarding them on traineeships with Success.Nat.
“Instead, the accused used their details to fill up the ‘Appointed Trainee under SGUT’ form and submit the same to SBF.”
Lim would prepare the required documents such as the training agreements, which he submitted to SBF to give the impression that these individuals purportedly had traineeships with Success.Nat from October 2020 to June 2021.
Lim would also indicate to SBF that he was paying the purported trainees the maximum training allowance of $2,500 a month.
DPP Soh told the court: “In reality, the accused submitted the documents... without the knowledge and consent of the purported trainees. The accused never onboarded any of the purported trainees and did not pay them any training allowances.”

He also forged the signatures of purported trainees on seven training agreements.
Court documents did not disclose how the offences came to light, but Lim was charged in court in March 2023.
He made full restitution on Feb 18, 2022.

 

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3 foreigners fined for working illegally as food delivery riders​

Malaysian Ng Teik Chuan was fined $10,000 for working as a food delivery rider using MilkRun and LiveExpress platforms from May 2022 to March 2023. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Wong Shiying

Oct 10, 2023

SINGAPORE – Three foreigners were on Tuesday fined between $3,800 and $10,000 for working illegally as food delivery riders in Singapore without valid work passes.
A Singaporean and a permanent resident (PR), who provided the foreigners with account access on the food delivery platforms, were also fined for abetting these offences.
Only Singaporeans and PRs can legally work as riders for food delivery platforms in Singapore.
Ng Teik Chuan, who is Malaysian, was fined $10,000 for working as a food delivery rider using MilkRun and LiveExpress platforms from May 2022 to March 2023.
He earned a total of about $13,700 before he was caught in March by Ministry of Manpower (MOM) enforcement officers while he was out making deliveries.
Indian national Amanullah Faizal Navas, 37, in March borrowed Singaporean Muhammad Mubeen Muthibbi Sahul Hameed’s Foodpanda account. The duo, who were each fined $3,800 on Tuesday, are friends.

Mubeen, 47, shared his e-mail address and password with Amanullah and helped the latter unlock his Foodpanda account using facial recognition.

Amanullah, who had been working in Singapore for 12 years, was in between jobs at the time. After using Mubeen’s account for four days, he was confronted by members of the public for illegally doing food delivery as a foreigner.
Amanullah stopped working as a rider immediately after the incident. He did not retrieve his earnings of $540 from Mubeen’s account.

Indian national Amanullah Faizal Navas (right) borrowed the Foodpanda account of Singaporean Muhammad Mubeen Muthibbi Sahul Hameed (left). The duo were each fined $3,800. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Malaysian Chaw Soon Yaw, 28, who was working as a cook here, borrowed his brother’s Deliveroo account from December 2022 to March 2023. His brother, Soon Song, is a 23-year-old PR. They were each fined $5,000 on Tuesday.
On March 10, Soon Yaw discovered that his brother’s Deliveroo account had been suspended. This came after he had been confronted by a member of public who warned him that it was illegal for a foreigner to work as a food delivery rider in Singapore.
Soon Yaw had made about $2,090 as a rider by then.

Malaysian Chaw Soon Yaw (right) borrowed the Deliveroo account of his brother Chaw Soon Song (left), who is a Singapore permanent resident. They were each fined $5,000. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

MOM said in a statement in September that it has been engaging the major food delivery platforms to enhance their processes and prevent the misuse of accounts by unauthorised parties.
The ministry added that it also worked with the platforms on educational messages to advise riders against allowing foreigners to use or share their food delivery accounts.
Foreigners who are self-employed without a valid work pass can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $20,000, or both. On conviction, they will be permanently barred from working in Singapore.
Local delivery platform workers who are found to have allowed foreigners to use their accounts may face similar penalties.

 

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Deregistered cars spotted in HDB multi-storey carpark could be bid to evade fines​

An anonymous user on Facebook said the cars were moved by tow trucks into the multi-storey carpark at Block 120B, Kim Tian Place, and parked on the upper floors. PHOTO: ANONYMOUS USER/COMPLAINT SINGAPORE/FACEBOOK
Kolette Lim

Oct 13, 2023

SINGAPORE - Cars that have been deregistered have been found parked in a multi-storey carpark in Tiong Bahru in a likely bid to illegally evade parking fines.
An anonymous user who put up a post on the Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Sept 9 said the cars were moved by tow trucks into the multi-storey carpark at Block 120B, Kim Tian Place, and parked on the upper floors.
The post also included photos of numerous cars in the carpark, accompanied by a screenshot of registration records available on the Land Transport Authority’s One Motoring website.
The screenshot was meant to indicate that the registration record for a car photographed at the carpark was not available – meaning the car was deregistered.
A Housing Development Board investigation is under way. When contacted, HDB declined to provide details.

Deregistered cars were found parked at the multi-storey carpark at Block 120B Kim Tian Place. PHOTO: ANONYMOUS USER/COMPLAINT SINGAPORE/FACEBOOK
Towing firm Shenton Recovery director Shenton Koh told The Straits Times that the Electronic Parking System (EPS) deployed in Singapore carparks cannot detect towed vehicles, allowing them to pass through carpark gantries without paying.
Parking charges for cars at the Kim Tian Place HDB carpark where the cars were seen are $2.40 for two hours. Monthly season parking is $110.

It is an offence for motorists to evade payment by tailgating other vehicles or bypassing car park gantries at carparks that use the EPS system, according to information found on the HDB website.
Rules listed on the LTA website indicate that vehicles have to be scrapped, exported or stored temporarily in an export-processing zone (EPZ) within a month of being deregistered and proof of deregistration needs to be submitted.
When the Certificate of Entitlement for a car expires, the owner can either scrap the car at an LTA-appointed scrapyard or sell it to a car dealer, who can help with the paperwork.
Mr Jake Ler, chief marketing officer at Motorist Singapore – an online portal offering a listing of motoring services – said car dealers can either resell the car, scrap it at a scrapyard or store it in an EPZ before exporting it to another country.

He said: “Storing a car at an EPZ can cost anywhere between $100 and $200 a day.”
Cars are usually stored at an EPZ for three to four days before being exported, he added.
Mr K.H. Yong, a director at car export firm JA8 Import and Export, said it would cost at least $15,000 a month to rent a space large enough to store a batch of deregistered cars before they are scrapped or exported.
“A huge space is required to store vehicles and the gate must be big enough for containers to enter and exit easily,” he added.
JA8 stores about 30 cars at its scrapyard and exports about 20 cars every 10 days.
Anyone found guilty of not submitting documents of proof can face a maximum fine of $2,000 or three months of imprisonment. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $5,000 or up to six months of imprisonment.

 

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NTU don accused of plagiarising former student’s work ‘no longer employed by the university’​

Associate Professor Qu Jingyi was the head of Chinese at the School of Humanities at NTU. PHOTOS: NTU, ST FILE

Chin Hui Shan

Oct 13, 2023

SINGAPORE – The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) academic at the centre of a plagiarism scandal in July is no longer employed by the university.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, an NTU spokesman said: “Associate Professor Qu Jingyi is no longer employed by the university with effect from Oct 11, 2023. As disciplinary proceedings are confidential, we are unable to comment further.
“The university is committed to the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct, and takes all academic misconduct and breach of the university’s code of conduct very seriously.”
The NTU spokesman did not elaborate on whether Prof Qu was dismissed or had resigned.
In July, ST reported that Prof Qu was accused of plagiarising a former student’s final-year project in his 2018 research paper titled Escape As A Mode Of Existence: On Ruan Ji’s Escapism Complex.
He was the head of Chinese at the School of Humanities at NTU and the deputy director of its Centre for Chinese Language and Culture. A check on Thursday showed his profile had been removed from the department’s webpage.
The accusations against Prof Qu were first made on online forum Reddit by someone claiming to be an NTU student. The person had noticed stark similarities between Prof Qu’s 2018 research paper and Mr Wang Yueming’s 2014 project, titled Escapism In The Literary Works Of Ruan Ji.


Prof Qu was Mr Wang’s final-year project supervisor in 2014.
Prof Qu’s paper is written in English, while Mr Wang’s is in Chinese. Prof Qu’s paper, which was accessible on Academia.edu, an open repository of academic articles, has since been taken down.
Checks by The Straits Times in July found that over 50 per cent of Prof Qu’s paper looked like a direct translation of Mr Wang’s paper, with no attribution to the latter. These sections included analyses of poems and inferences made on related research papers.
Prof Qu joined NTU in 2010 and holds a PhD from Peking University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, according to his profile on the university’s website. He has received scholarships such as the Fulbright Scholarship, Peking University PhD full scholarship and NTU’s Nanyang Education Award. He has produced over 100 published works in English and Chinese, including 49 journal articles.
Associate Professor Yow Cheun Hoe, director of NTU’s Chinese Heritage Centre and the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture, remains the department’s acting head, according to the NTU Chinese department’s webpage. He was appointed in July after ST reported the accusations against Prof Qu.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Woman who argued with cops in video allegedly worked as hostess, lied in work permit application​

Han Feizi was at Singapore General Hospital to treat her injured foot and was allegedly shouting and being a public nuisance. PHOTOS: ST FILE, SCREENGRAB FROM DOUYIN

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Oct 24, 2023

SINGAPORE - A woman who filmed herself arguing with the police at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) allegedly lied in her work permit application by stating she would be employed as a clerk.
Instead, Chinese national Han Feizi, 29, purportedly moonlighted as a freelance hostess at various locations.
On Tuesday, she was handed two charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
According to court documents, on or around Aug 11, Han allegedly declared in her work permit application form that she would be employed as a clerk for a firm called KDL Elements.
It deals with entertainment spots such as nightclubs and karaoke lounges.
Her form was submitted to the Work Pass Division of the Ministry of Manpower.
Han, who is now in remand, allegedly had no intention of working for KDL Elements.

She is also accused of moonlighting as a freelance hostess without a valid work pass from around Aug 1 to Oct 11.
On Oct 13, she was handed six charges, including one count of being a public nuisance and two charges of using abusive language against a public servant.
She was given another two charges of assaulting or using criminal force on a security officer and one charge of intentionally causing harassment on Oct 3 under the Private Security Industry Act.

These were handed to her following a separate incident at The Sail at Marina Bay, a condominium in Marina Boulevard.
In an earlier statement about the SGH incident, the police said they received a call regarding a verbally abusive patient at the hospital at around 2.35am on Oct 10.
Han was at SGH’s accident and emergency department to treat her injured foot and was allegedly shouting and being a public nuisance.
She had purportedly verbally abused a nurse before the police arrived.

When two investigation officers (IOs) interviewed Han at around 3.15am, she was uncooperative and refused to provide her statement.
The police said she allegedly used vulgarities in Mandarin against one of the IOs.
Han recorded segments of her interaction with the officers, which went viral on social media after she posted the 11-minute-long video on Chinese social media platform Douyin on Oct 10.
It was shared multiple times on TikTok and Facebook.
The police added that on Oct 3, Han was allegedly drunk and was escorted by security officers at The Sail to her unit.
She allegedly pushed one of them on his shoulder, verbally abused him, and pulled his tie.
The police had said firm action will be taken against culprits who are abusive towards public servants and public service workers carrying out their duties.
If convicted of using abusive language against a public service worker or public servant, an offender can be jailed for up to a year, fined up to $5,000, or both.
Han is expected to plead guilty on Wednesday.

 

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S’pore won’t claim from climate fund, but will help others access it: Grace Fu​

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said Singapore will not claim from the fund despite investing heavily in coastal protection measures. PHOTO: REUTERS

Cheryl Tan

DEC 12, 2023

DUBAI – Singapore will not be claiming from a fund that compensates countries for the loss and damage that they face arising from climate change.
Instead, it will support fellow countries from the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis) to help them receive money from the fund, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Dec 11.
Speaking to reporters outside the Singapore Pavilion at the United Nations COP28 climate talks, Ms Fu said the Republic will not claim from the fund despite investing heavily in coastal protection measures. Singapore has estimated that at least $100 billion will be needed in the long term to fight against rising sea levels.
“What we really want to see is help (given) to our fellow islanders, our brothers and sisters in Aosis, to help (them) tap these funds, as many face difficulties doing so due to a lack of technical capacity,” she added.
At least US$790 million (S$1.06 billion) has been pledged to the historic loss and damage fund, which sees developed countries that have contributed largely to climate change paying developing countries for the climate-induced damages they are experiencing.
The fund will be hosted through the World Bank for the first four years.
Singapore is part of the Aosis negotiating bloc, which includes many small island states such as the Pacific island nations, which have already suffered from climate change acutely through the loss of land and property damage due to sea-level rise. Some communities have also been forced to relocate.

To receive money from the fund, countries must submit plans and feasibility studies. The lack of technical capability to provide such information is often what is holding them back from submission, Ms Fu said.
Singapore could help countries that are developing their national adaptation plan, which needs details on how they deal with food and water security.
“So, I think Singapore plays a useful role in getting capability building, technical assistance, working with other countries that have the ability to do so, the resources to do so, to help our fellow island states to get better access (to the fund) to help them recover faster from disaster,” Ms Fu added.

The World Bank being the host of the fund was a sticking point for developing countries.
They were worried that it was not truly an independent fund as it is based in the United States, and the administrative processes required of them would hence make it difficult to access the money.
In February, Ms Fu said in Parliament that Singapore, classified as a developing country in international negotiations, is an eligible recipient of the loss and damage fund.
She added at the time that Singapore had not decided if it would contribute to the fund, or claim from it, a position that drew the ire of youth climate groups here.
The groups felt it would be unjust for the Republic to take from the fund as it could deprive other climate-wrought countries from getting the compensation that they needed.
Asked by The Straits Times at COP28 on whether Singapore will be contributing to other sources of finance, such as adaptation or climate finance in general, Ms Fu said: “We see our role really as galvanising finance...
“The idea is that from the little resources that we have in Singapore, how (we) can lever up... like a fulcrum. From $1 that we are putting on the table, we are able to get $7, $8, $9 of funding.
“We have put in some money to start that funding arrangement, and we are very optimistic that the amount that we have on blended finance, the amount that we put into the seed companies, for example, will see scaling effects in the years to come.”
The Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership’s US$5 billion blended finance initiative is meant to channel finance to projects that would otherwise not be profitable, such as those in clean energy, nature-based solutions, and waste and water management.
This initiative involves Singapore’s central bank and other partners like the International Finance Corporation and Temasek.
Ms Fu and Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide are facilitating negotiations on mitigation at COP28, which is a key prong of the Paris Agreement as it entails reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 deg C.

When asked if countries are going to agree on a term like the “phase-out” of fossil fuels, or whether there might be other options that come up later on, she said: “The issue about energy transition is a significant one.
“The presidency has really made this the core issue. What we have found over the last few days is that there’s a great convergence over the need to move to 1.5 deg C and for (greater climate) ambition.”
However, countries are divided on how to get there, especially as they all have many concerns and expectations, she added.
One of the hotly debated points of COP28 is the language around the “phase-out” of fossil fuels, and whether it will be a complete phase-out, or only the phase-out of “unabated” fossil fuels. Abated fossil fuels refer to the use of carbon capture technologies to ensure emissions are less intensive.
Ms Fu said: “So we will have to work through the language to find possible landing zones... I think the intention is to have a good energy transition message, and I think that is still a work in progress.”
As for Singapore’s position on fossil fuels, she said that Singapore is still reliant on these, given the limited natural energy and renewable energy sources here. Singapore is powered by around 95 per cent natural gas.
“We’re also talking about the possibility of importing renewable energy from the region, which is really going out of our comfort zone, if you think about issues with energy security, but we felt that it is an important part for us to decarbonise our energy sector,” she added.
Singapore is also looking at new technologies like green hydrogen, which is not cost-effective at the moment but crucial for the Republic to explore to play its role in energy decarbonisation.
“We are also accountable to our own people for the economic livelihoods... so we have to strike a balance in accelerating our decarbonisation journey and also making sure that the transition is an orderly, reasonable one that gives us affordable and accessible energy,” Ms Fu added.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Covid-19 medals not the best way to show appreciation to healthcare workers​

DEC 16, 2023

I refer to the article “Some Covid-19 front-liners selling Resilience Medals; PMO says medals should be handled with respect (Dec 13). Putting aside the intentions of potential buyers, perhaps we should reflect on why these recipients are selling their medals online.
During the pandemic, I worked in the emergency department and Covid-19 isolation wards of Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
As a healthcare worker who received the invitation to receive the medal, I view the actions of these sellers as symbolic of a bigger message – medals do not put food on the table; gestures and tokens are of no use if they do not solve one’s basic needs.
Healthcare workers work for the same reason as the rest of the population – to make a living. The altruistic virtues often portrayed about healthcare workers are secondary, which is why nobody works for free.
As a gesture of appreciation, healthcare workers would value feeling heard regarding grievances related to their work hours, pay, rights and protection against abuse.
It is worth noting that cash bonuses were given to healthcare workers during the pandemic, which was well-appreciated. Many of us feel that money and resources could have been better spent on healthcare workers, such as another cash bonus in lieu of the medal and an extravagant appreciation carnival, for example.
Another reason which erodes the value of the medal is the sheer number of recipients. Medals given out by the Prime Minister’s Office, such as the National Day Awards, are usually viewed with honour and prestige.

The PMO website says the Covid-19 Resilience Medal was awarded to 110,365 recipients. In comparison, the Long Service Medal, the next most common award, was given to 3,436 recipients. It is therefore difficult to ascribe the same prestige to the Covid-19 Resilience Medal.
For the above reasons, I did not collect my medal. Perhaps that is why some of those who did decided to put it up for sale – at least for the symbolism if not for monetary gain.

Winston Lee (Dr)

 

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Foreign doctor who worked illegally as a locum on over 500 occasions fined $50,000​

Lee Li Ying
Correspondent

DEC 29, 2023

SINGAPORE – A foreign doctor who took on illegal side jobs as a locum for about 2½ years was fined $50,000 by the Singapore Medical Council’s (SMC’s) disciplinary tribunal.
A locum doctor takes over the duties of a regular doctor when the latter is not available.
Dr Queck Kian Kheng had provided locum services to 25 different clinics on 511 occasions from November 2016 to May 2019, earning almost $331,500 from the illicit freelance gigs.
According to the disciplinary tribunal’s grounds of decision released on the SMC website on Dec 28, Dr Queck held an employment pass as an associate consultant with Singapore Health Services at the time of the offences.
The nationality of the doctor was not revealed, but he is now a Singapore permanent resident.
He did not have a valid work pass to be a self-employed foreigner.
In June 2021, he had been separately convicted of three charges for being a self-employed foreigner engaged as a doctor without a valid work pass. He was fined $70,000 then.


Following that, the SMC brought a charge against him under the Medical Registration Act for an improper act or conduct which brings disrepute to the medical profession.
Represented by Dr Alex Cheng and Mr Eric Tin from Donaldson & Burkinshaw, Dr Queck pleaded guilty to the latest charge.
The SMC asked for a fine of $50,000, while Dr Queck’s lawyers left the quantum to the tribunal.

An online search for registered healthcare professionals in Singapore showed that he has been a fully registered medical practitioner since July 6, 2014, and currently specialises in neurology at the KK Queck Neurology Centre at Mount Alvernia Hospital.
He also obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from the National University of Malaysia in 2009.
The SMC felt a fine was appropriate because the case did not involve fraud or dishonesty, and Dr Queck had shown remorse by his early plea of guilt.
In mitigation, his lawyers said he had cooperated with investigations and voluntarily disclosed his locum engagements.
Dr Queck’s offences were committed due to his honest omission and inadvertence to check whether he could engage in locum practice, said the lawyers.
They added that while he did not have actual knowledge of the restriction, he did not conceal that he was an employment pass holder and that the clinics that engaged him asked only if he was fully registered.

Dr Queck was also not primarily profit-motivated, but had wanted to improve his clinical skills and broaden his medical knowledge during his free time, they added.
In response, the disciplinary tribunal was of the view that the fact that the breaches took place over such a prolonged period pushes Dr Queck’s conduct beyond mere inadvertence and more towards indifference.
“It cannot be a mitigating factor for a foreign professional who holds an employment pass to claim that he was unaware of the limited scope under which he could work in Singapore,” said the tribunal.
The tribunal also found that the assertion that Dr Queck’s motivation to work as a locum was to improve his clinical skills was self-serving and overstated, and questioned why he had not volunteered his medical services instead.
While the tribunal recognised that he had favourable character references from his peers, supervisors and patients, and his professional achievements as he had won awards during his residency training and for science and research, those factors must be weighed against the need for deterrence, especially as he had received substantial financial benefits.
The tribunal found the SMC’s proposed fine of $50,000 to be reasonable, and ordered the fine. It took into consideration that he had already been fined $70,000 by the State Courts, among other factors.
The tribunal also ordered that Dr Queck be censured, submit a written undertaking to SMC that he would not engage in such conduct again and to pay the costs and expenses of the proceedings, including the costs of SMC’s counsel.

 

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Jail for woman who duped MSF into giving her $6.6k of Covid-19 grants​

Nadine Chua

JAN 15, 2024

SINGAPORE – A woman who duped the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) into disbursing $6,600 worth of Covid-19 grants to her when she was not eligible for them was sentenced to 20 weeks’ jail.
Chen Xiao, 39, pleaded guilty to three cheating charges and one forgery charge on Jan 15.
Chen, a Chinese national and Singapore permanent resident, had applied to receive payments under two grants meant for those who lost their jobs due to Covid-19, even though she lost her job before the pandemic hit.
The first grant she applied for was the Covid-19 Support Grant (CSG), which was administered by the MSF to help Singapore citizens and permanent residents who were unemployed or experienced a loss of income because of the economic impact of Covid-19.
The application window ran from May 4, 2020, to Dec 31, 2020.
The other grant she applied for was the Covid-19 Recovery Grant (CRG) to help Singapore citizens and permanent residents in lower to middle-income households who experienced involuntary job loss, involuntary no-pay leave or income loss due to the pandemic.
The application window ran from Jan 18, 2021, to Dec 31, 2022.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh said Chen was previously employed by J Koion, a Japanese restaurant at Zhongshan Mall. Court documents did not state what role she previously held at the restaurant.
The restaurant ceased operations on Nov 15, 2019, and Chen become unemployed on that date.
The DPP said Chen was aware that because her unemployment was before Jan 23, 2020, and not due to the economic impact of Covid-19, she was not eligible for both the CSG and CRG.

In May 2020, Chen made an online application for the CSG and stated that she had lost her job due to Covid-19 on Feb 1, 2020.
This application was rejected that month as Chen had not submitted any supporting documents from her former employer.
When Chen saw this, she contacted the former owner of J Koion, Ms Wang Yan, to ask for a letter in support of her CSG application.

Ms Wang said she could not provide Chen with such a letter but suggested that she create one herself.
DPP Koh said that in May 2020, Chen faked a retrenchment letter from J Koion that stated her employment was terminated from Feb 1, 2020, and a signed “payment voucher” that stated she had received $1,000 as her salary for January.
In May and October 2020, Chen made two CSG applications which MSF approved, leading to the ministry disbursing $4,800 to her.
In January 2021, Chen made a CRG application, which was also approved by MSF, and received $1,800.
Her offences came to light when an MSF officer noticed that Chen’s retrenchment letter had various fonts and suspected it had been forged. The ministry subsequently reported the matter to the police.
Chen has since made full restitution, said the DPP.
Those convicted of cheating can be jailed for up to 10 years and are also liable to a fine.

 

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Woman abused financial support schemes linked to Covid-19 to cheat MSF out of $3.8k​

On Feb 19, Nurkaziemah Karim pleaded guilty to two counts of cheating involving $2,600 in total and one count of forgery. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

FEB 27, 2024

SINGAPORE – A woman repeatedly abused financial support schemes that the Government had set up to deal with the impact of Covid-19 and cheated the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) out of $3,800 in total.
On Feb 19, Nurkaziemah Karim, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of cheating involving $2,600 in total and one count of forgery.
Five other charges, including two counts of cheating linked to the remaining $1,200, will be considered during sentencing. She has since made full restitution to MSF.
Nurkaziemah had abused two initiatives – the Temporary Relief Fund (TRF) and the Covid-19 Recovery Grant (CRG).
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kathy Chu said eligible TRF applicants received a one-off payment of $500. This was given to those who, among other conditions, had been retrenched from their jobs or suffered at least a 30 per cent loss of personal income due to Covid-19, after Jan 23, 2020.
Separately, successful CRG applicants received three monthly payments of up to $700 each. Applicants had to be unemployed due to retrenchment or involuntary contract termination at the point of application.
DPP Chu said Nurkaziemah’s husband started working as a mobile technician at a property services firm in October 2019. He later resigned from SB Property Services in April 2020.

He then worked as a delivery rider until February 2021.
On or around April 10, 2020, Nurkaziemah submitted a TRF application for him. She lied to MSF by claiming that her husband had lost his job due to Covid-19.
The ministry handed him $500 on April 13, 2020.

The DPP said Nurkaziemah started working as a human resources (HR) executive at franchise management company Deelish Brands on Dec 28, 2020.
On March 31, 2021, she sent a resignation letter to the firm and the HR director accepted it.
The prosecutor told the court that Nurkaziemah had voluntarily resigned from Deelish Brands and her employment there was not affected by Covid-19.
On or around April 11, 2021, she forged a letter of release dated March 31, 2021, bearing the firm’s letterhead. The document stated that Deelish Brands had purportedly decided to terminate her employment there due to “restructuring”.
Nurkaziemah submitted an application for a CRG and enclosed the forged letter in it. As a result, MSF handed her $2,100 in total via three disbursements of $700 each in April and May 2021.
On July 12, 2021, Nurkaziemah started working as an HR executive at logistics provider Sin Chew Woodpaq. She sent a resignation e-mail to its HR manager the following month.
On or around Sept 30, 2021, she forged a letter of release bearing Sin Chew Woodpaq’s letterhead, claiming that her employment with the firm was terminated due to restructuring. She then enclosed the forged document in another application for a CRG.
Her offences came to light when the HR manager received a call from MSF and discovered that Nurkaziemah had forged the termination letter. The police were alerted on Oct 15, 2021.
Nurkaziemah will be sentenced on Feb 28.