There is no corruption in Singapore...

[LITTLEREDDOT]

10 years' jail for Gurkha cop who misappropriated over $5m from own community​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Jul 20, 2022

SINGAPORE - A sergeant with the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) misappropriated $5.4 million from people in his community and used some of the money to place bets on remote gambling sites.
The bets, which included winnings he might have rolled over, totalled nearly $40.8 million - the largest amount to date involving a punter linked to unlawful gambling activities.
Bikash Gurung, now 36, had told his 196 victims that he could remit monies to Nepal at favourable exchange rates.
But he only sent around $211,000 back to their home country.
In their submissions, deputy public prosecutors Jeremy Bin and Cheng You Duen described the case as one of the most heinous scams perpetrated in recent history.
Bikash, who has been suspended from service since Sept 24, 2018, took between $2,000 and $240,000 from each victim.
"These monies were absolutely necessary to provide basic necessities such as healthcare, education, food and shelter for the victims' families in Nepal.

"Their lives, and the lives of their families for generations to come, have been irrevocably damaged by virtue of the accused's offences," said the prosecution.
On Wednesday (July 20), Bikash was sentenced to 10 years' jail after he pleaded guilty to 25 counts of criminal breach of trust and nine charges involving unlawful gambling activities.
Another 188 charges were considered during sentencing.

Bikash was known among his friends in the Gurkha Contingent as someone who could reliably remit monies to Nepal at favourable rates.
But in 2016, he incurred significant losses from gambling heavily on football matches.
To fund his gambling habit, he leveraged on his reputation in remitting money.
He said he would accept Singapore dollars from his customers and use the cash to buy goods which would then be transported to Nepal.

Bikash claimed the goods would be sold by businesses there at higher prices and the proceeds would be transferred to his customers' families.
"When the monies were not remitted within the timeframe promised by the accused, some of the victims questioned him.
"To avoid arousing the victims' suspicion for the delay, and to convince future victims that his scheme was legitimate, the accused remitted portions of the money owed to these victims," said the prosecution.
The largest sum of $240,000 came from a retired officer who had entrusted the amount to Bikash between December 2017 and April 2018.
The victim had intended to give $58,000 to his family there for their living expenses and invest the rest in a project in Nepal.
When the monies were not delivered, the victim contacted Bikash, who said delays in the shipment of goods were to blame.
Another victim took a loan of $50,000 against his future income to help his sick mother back home.
He transferred the whole amount to Bikash on April 9, 2018, but after three months, approached the disgraced officer who said he had used the money to buy expensive watches to be sent to Nepal.
The victim was told to wait another month.
Between Dec 18, 2017 and June 30, 2018, Bikash used the money entrusted to him on an unlawful remote gambling service using two different accounts.
His offences came to light when an operations manager from the contingent made a police report in September 2018.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the SPF said that it has started internal action against Bikash, adding: "We deal with officers who break the law severely."

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

IMDA principal consultant jailed for four months over cheating offences​

Jeffrey Ho Kiat was jailed four months after he pleaded guilty to three cheating charges. PHOTO: ST FILE
Samuel Devaraj

Aug 24, 2022

SINGAPORE - Unsure if his contract at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) would be renewed, a principal consultant there set up a business.
But he used the company while he was still with IMDA to receive jobs from the statutory board without telling his employer of his vested interest.
On Wednesday (Aug 24), Jeffrey Ho Kiat, 56, was jailed for four months after he pleaded guilty to three cheating charges.
Four other charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing . He was given a discharge amounting to an acquittal for five other charges.
Ho's accomplice was his former secretary Ng Sok Luan, who he became acquainted with in 2006 during one of his previous roles in the public service. Ng, 44, was sentenced to two months' jail last month.
On Wednesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Lim said the pair developed an intimate relationship and that Ng continued to work with Ho until Oct 31, 2016.
In her written sentencing submissions for Ho, DPP Lim added that the pair abused the position of trust that Ho was placed in by virtue of his role at IMDA.

She said: "Given that he was an expert in the area of design, his IMDA colleagues had trusted him to provide recommendations for suitable vendors who could carry out the required work.
"Instead, Jeffrey abused this trust by directing the work to his own companies."
DPP Lim told the court that Ho was seconded to IMDA some time after November 2016, and joined officially a year later on a contract basis.

In April 2017, he set up Goldentree Innovations with Ng as he wanted to set up a sustainable business if his IMDA contract was not renewed.
Ng's brother-in-law Low Kian Tong was registered as director and shareholder of the company, while Ng and Ho provided start-up capital for it.
DPP Lim said Ho and Ng, who was with the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) then, were aware that they were required to declare their interest in Goldentree to their respective employers.
But they did not do so.
In March 2018, Ng and Ho set up Creative Futures Agency (CFA). Ng again got Mr Low to be registered as its director, and Ng took over in July 2018. Ho was again aware of his need to declare this interest but did not.
When Ho was asked to work on various projects with IMDA, including one for the Punggol Digital District, the companies he recommended included CFA, Goldentree and another company called Zelkova Serrata (S).
Two of the jobs were awarded to Zelkova on April 17 and Aug 20, 2018, and one was awarded to CFA in November that year.

Ho informed Ng that a director of Zelkova would assist in provideing supporting quotations and invoices for a few IMDA projects. Based on his instructions, she prepared quotations and sent them to the director for his submission to IMDA.
While Zelkova was awarded the job, the actual work was carried out by Goldentree.
IMDA paid Zelkova $5,965 on July 10, 2018, and $5,985 on Oct 5, 2018. It paid CFA $5,990 some time after November 2018.
Ng made restitution to IMDA on April 14 this year, and Ho on May 11 this year.
In their written mitigation, Ho's lawyers Paul Loy and Samuel Navindran from Wong Partnership said Ho had been worried about his financial situation and was anxious when he was asked to leave a position with MCI in 2016.
Then 50 years old, they said Ho was the primary breadwinner for his wife, a part-time lecturer and three children.

The lawyers also they said he "had a long and storied career in Singapore's design industry" and listed Ho's previous contributions, including being the founding director of the School of Design at Singapore Polytechnic and successfully leading the push and application for Singapore to be appointed a Unesco Creative City of Design.
Ho was suspended from the IMDA pending the conclusion of court proceedings against him. The Straits Times has contacted the authority for comment.
Ho could have been jailed for up to three years, fined, or both for each cheating charge he faced.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Lim How Teck exits as chairman of Temasek-backed Heliconia Capital, months after police arrest​

Mr Lim's departure comes after he took a leave of absence from his role as chairman following his arrest in February. PHOTO: ST FILE
Janice Lim

Aug 25, 2022

SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - Lim How Teck has stepped down as chairman of Temasek-backed Heliconia Capital, months after he was arrested in his capacity as the lead independent director of Raffles Education Corp.
Lim's departure comes after he took a leave of absence from his role as chairman of the investment firm following his arrest in February this year.
His resignation was announced via a bourse filing from CSE Global - one of Heliconia's portfolio companies - on Wednesday (Aug 24).
The international technology group announced in the filing that Lim would resign from his role as non-executive non-independent director of CSE Global with immediate effect since he was stepping down as Heliconia's chairman.
The investment firm had nominated Lim to be on CSE Global's board in the first place.
This also means Lim would be vacating his position as a member of the group's audit and risk committee, as well as nominating committee.
In February this year, five directors from Raffles Education were arrested, with their bail set at $30,000 each, following investigations from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Commercial Affairs Department.

The investigations are related to disclosures made by the company about a claim by Affin Bank against certain subsidiaries of the company, including Raffles K12 and Raffles Iskandar, which manage schools in Malaysia.

 

[Rabbit7]

#3
Because the PN politicians want to control the awarding of lucrative construction contracts and take a cut of the contracts awarded?

Perikatan wanted to dole out HSR jobs directly, cut Singapore out of selection process: Najib
JANUARY 05, 2021
Updated JANUARY 05, 2021
8 SHARES

Yusof Mat Isa/Malay Mail
View attachment 100396
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak also said the Singapore government terminated the project because it did not agree with two of the Perikatan Nasional governments’ requests, and not because of Covid-19.

KUALA LUMPUR — The Perikatan Nasional (PN) government wanted the ability to directly select vendors for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project without the involvement of Singapore, former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak alleged on Monday (Jan 4).

He claimed on a Facebook page that this was a departure from his initial vision for both countries to be responsible for the construction of the railway in order to prevent possible abuse or irregularity.In a Facebook post, Mr Najib cited Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung’s remarks that Malaysia had proposed to remove an assets company that the two countries previously agreed on, adding that Singaporeans were not happy with this move.

“They (PN) want to choose the contractor and vendors for the HSR train through direct negotiation without Singapore interfering with it.“

The Singapore government was not happy with the request to have the HSR train end at KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport). Once they alight there, they will have to switch to the ERL train owned by YTL (Corporation) which is half the speed of the HSR to get to the city.

“I find this decision odd. Visitors from Singapore would want to get to the city as fast as possible and not go to KLIA and then have the change into a slower train to get to Kuala Lumpur.

If they wanted to go to the airport to board a plane they would do so at their own airport,” Mr Najib posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

“Why would they want to ride an HSR train to KLIA,” he asked.Mr Najib also said the Singapore government terminated the project because it did not agree with two of the PN governments’ requests, and not because of Covid-19.

This meant Malaysia must now pay as much as RM1 billion (S$328,266) in compensation to Singapore, he said.“Following that, the PN government has now extended the ERL train to Johor Baru calling it the HSR KL-Johor Baru at medium speed at the same cost as the cancelled HSR KL-Singapore project.

“The company operating this train line, ERL, is set to lose a lot of money due to the loss of revenue from Singapore but the PN government has also agreed to pay them compensation every year.Earlier, Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mustapa Mohamed said the HSR project was cancelled due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country’s economy.

He said the situation has forced the government to re-evaluate the HSR project.

Last Friday, Malaysia and Singapore both issued separate statements to announce the automatic termination of the HSR Bilateral Agreement.

Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said Putrajaya had allowed the HSR bilateral agreement to be terminated and has agreed to compensate the island republic for costs already incurred in fulfilling its obligations under the agreement.Malaysia, on the other hand, said it would honour its obligations under the HSR Bilateral Agreement with Singapore and pay compensation.

MALAY MAIL

Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/world/p...8_Zl6fdfGrRFxIMUSl5S5XLajbNERdCW2_Nmxi5HSMRDQ

Does anyone know why MDIS at EduCity, is still NOT Operating - despite being constructed ?
Perhaps something to do with the selection of Contractors again ?

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

No charges brought against MP Louis Ng for holding placard without permit to support hawkers​

MP Louis Ng had been investigated for holding up a piece of paper that read "Support Them" during a visit to Yishun Park Hawker Centre in 2020. PHOTO: LOUIS NG KOK KWANG/FACEBOOK

Jean Iau

Oct 5, 2022

SINGAPORE - Following police investigations, Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng will not face criminal charges for failing to apply for a permit before he visited hawkers while holding up a placard in June 2020.
It was earlier reported that Mr Ng was being investigated for holding up a piece of paper that read "Support Them" with a smiley face printed on it.
A spokesman for the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) told The Straits Times on Wednesday that AGC directed the police to take no further action against Mr Ng under the Public Order Act.
"Investigations have revealed that Mr Ng was exercising his duty as a Member of Parliament, in expressing care and support for the welfare of the hawkers in his constituency during the Covid-19 pandemic," said the spokesman.
The spokesman added that the nature of the act and the intent of the person performing the act are key considerations in deciding whether an offence has been committed or whether there is any public interest in prosecuting the offence.
Mr Ng posted about his trip to Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Facebook on June 20, 2020, encouraging residents to visit the hawkers weeks after the circuit breaker period had ended. In pictures that accompanied the post, Mr Ng could be seen holding up the sign.
He wrote: "(Hawkers) worked hard during the past few months to try to make ends meet and to provide yummy food for us. More than ever, our hawker heroes need our support."

Under the Public Order Act, an assembly is defined as a gathering or meeting with the purpose of demonstrating support for, or opposing the views or actions of, any person, group or government.
It also applies to publicising a cause or campaign, marking or commemorating any event, and includes a demonstration by a single person.
Mr Ng was investigated after activist Jolovan Wham was charged with holding up a piece of cardboard with a smiley face drawn on it in Toa Payoh in March 2020.
Wham, who in September 2022 served 15 days behind bars instead of paying a $3,000 fine for a separate assembly, was earlier given a discharge amounting to acquittal for the charge involving the smiley face. This means he cannot be charged again with the same offence.
The Straits Times has contacted Mr Ng for comment.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Two JTC officers convicted of conspiracy to illegally clear parts of Kranji Woodland​

One of two plots of forested land cleared at Kranji Road, as seen on Feb 22, 2021. PHOTO: ST FILE

David Sun
Correspondent

Nov 4, 2022

SINGAPORE - A former deputy director at JTC Corporation and a JTC senior project manager were convicted after admitting on Friday to being part of a conspiracy to clear part of Kranji Woodland before getting approval.
The duo were working on the development of the Kranji Agri-Food Innovation Park (AFIP) and the court heard that a total of 362 trees were cut illegally.
Chong Pui Chih, 47, who was a deputy director at JTC Corporation, pleaded guilty to three charges under the Parks and Trees Act.
Neo Jek Lin, 44, who was a JTC senior project manager, pleaded guilty to three charges under the Parks and Trees Act and a fourth charge under the Wildlife Act.
The prosecution said they were part of a quartet of officers from JTC and CPG Consultants who acted in gross violation of requirements, causing the felling of trees without approval and without taking the necessary steps to ensure wildlife-related requirements were complied with.
The Singapore Government had announced the development of the Kranji AFIP in March 2019.
A plot of land located at Kranji Close and Kranji Road had been set aside for the development of the park.

The 18.4-hectare site was vacant land which required the felling of existing trees for the planned development.
JTC was selected as the project owner and development agency for the Kranji AFIP and Neo was appointed project manager while Chong was his direct supervisor.
Sometime before Jan 13, 2021, Neo and Chong engaged in a conspiracy with co-accused Jimmy Liu Wing Tim, 63, and Tan See Chee, 64.
Liu and Tan were from CPG. Tan was appointed qualified person for the project and Liu the qualified person representative to assist him.
The four conspired to cut trees growing on the land without approval from the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, as they were worried the project would be delayed as it would have to satisfy various official requirements.
The prosecution said that the total number of trees that were cut without approval was “enormous by any measure”, and that the exact impact on the environment could not be calculated because the offences took place before any studies were undertaken.
The prosecution is asking for a $34,000 fine for Neo and a $28,000 fine for Chong.
Their cases have been adjourned to Nov 9 for sentencing.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Kranji woodland illegal clearing: JTC officer, then-supervisor fined $30,000 each​

Neo Jek Lin (left) was the project manager for the Kranji Agri-Food Innovation Park, while Chong Pui Chih was his direct supervisor. PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG

Jessie Lim

Nov 9, 2022

SINGAPORE – An officer and his then-supervisor were fined on Wednesday for their role in a conspiracy to clear a part of Kranji woodland before getting approval.
Neo Jek Lin, 44, who was a JTC senior project manager, was fined $30,000 after he pleaded guilty on Nov 4 to three charges under the Parks and Trees Act and a fourth charge under the Wildlife Act.
Chong Pui Chih, 47, a former deputy director with the statutory board, was also fined $30,000. She had earlier pleaded guilty to three charges under the Parks and Trees Act.
Neo and Chong were working on the development of the Kranji Agri-Food Innovation Park (AFIP), which was intended for high-tech farming and research and development activities. They were part of a quartet of officers from JTC and CPG Consultants who acted in gross violation of requirements.
That resulted in the felling of 362 trees without approval.
The steps to ensure wildlife-related requirements were complied with were also not taken.
District Judge Lee Lit Cheng said on Wednesday that Neo and Chong were acutely aware of the need to comply with wildlife-related requirements, but both agreed to go ahead because they were concerned about delays to the project.

Judge Lee said: “While Neo and Chong acted out of a sense of responsibility towards work entrusted to them, they were misguided in failing to show responsibility towards protecting the environment.”
In sentencing, she noted that while Neo, as the project manager for AFIP, played a more hands-on role on the site, more was expected of Chong due to her seniority.
The Government had announced the development of the Kranji AFIP in March 2019.

A plot of land located in Kranji Close and Kranji Road had been set aside for the development of the park. The 18.4ha site – about the size of 26 football fields – was vacant land that required the felling of existing trees for the planned development.

JTC was selected as the project owner and development agency for the Kranji AFIP. Neo was appointed project manager, while Chong was his direct supervisor.
Some time before Jan 13, 2021, Neo and Chong conspired with co-accused Jimmy Liu Wing Tim, 63, and Tan See Chee, 64.

Liu and Tan were from CPG, a consultancy responsible for the design and construction work of the Kranji AFIP. Tan was appointed qualified person for the project and Liu the qualified person representative to assist him.
The four conspired to arrange for the trees growing on the land to be cut without approval from the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation.
They were worried the project would be delayed as it would have to satisfy various official requirements.
Under the Parks and Trees Act, cutting down any tree with a girth exceeding 1m that is growing on any vacant land is prohibited unless approval has been obtained from the commissioner.
The 362 trees, all with girths of more than 1m, were felled illegally by contractors after the quartet plotted to concurrently satisfy the wildlife-related requirements. The requirements included measures to safeguard the wildlife, public safety and health, and ecosystems.
The National Parks Board (NParks) had raised concerns that there could be an adverse impact on the environment as a result of construction activities at the site and had detailed the requirements to mitigate this.
The prosecution said the total number of trees that were cut without approval was enormous by any measure, and the exact impact on the environment could not be calculated because the offences took place before any studies were undertaken.
“The approval for them to cut the trees would have eventually been given by NParks, but the harm caused in this case is the failure to allow for proper environmental studies to be done, to ensure wildlife, flora and fauna could be properly managed.”

The 362 trees were felled illegally by contractors after the quartet plotted to concurrently satisfy the wildlife-related requirements. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The unauthorised clearance came to light after aerial photos of the site showing the destruction of the woodland emerged on social media in February 2021.
In March 2022, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, who was previously Minister for Trade and Industry, said in Parliament that the unauthorised clearance occurred between late December 2020 and Jan 13, 2021.
Liu and Tan’s cases are still before the courts.
Those convicted of cutting or damaging a tree with a girth of more than 1m without approval can be fined up to $50,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

S’pore branch of engineering firm linked to MRT projects claims trial to graft charges​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

NOV 14, 2022

SINGAPORE - The Singapore branch of a tunnel and underground engineering firm linked to MRT projects is claiming trial on Monday after it was accused of bribing a Land Transport Authority (LTA) deputy group director at the time to the tune of $220,000.
China Railway Tunnel Group (Singapore Branch), which faces three graft charges, allegedly gave the monies to Henry Foo Yung Thye in 2018 and 2019.
Foo, then 47, was sentenced to 5½ years’ jail in September 2021 for taking about $1.24 million in bribes in the form of loans from contractors and subcontractors.
In earlier proceedings, the court heard that he had sought loans from, among others, directors of firms such as Tiong Seng Contractors, Mept Engineering, Tritech Engineering & Testing and China Railway Tunnel’s Singapore branch.
In exchange, he promised to perform tasks such as advancing their business interests with LTA.
In their opening statement on the current trial, Deputy Public Prosecutors Grace Lim and Gan Ee Kiat said that in 2014, several LTA representatives, including Foo, met China Railway Tunnel’s Singapore branch staff in China.
They were considering using the engineering company’s rectangular tunnel boring machine (RTMB) in the construction of the Thomson-East Coast Line.

There, Foo met a man identified in court documents as A1, one of the firm’s representatives hosting the visit.
In December 2014, China Railway Tunnel’s Singapore branch subcontracted another company to carry out tunnelling works using the RTMB for Havelock MRT station.
In February 2015, the engineering company’s local branch deployed another man, identified in court documents as A2, as the commercial manager for this subcontracted work.

Details about A1 and A2 were not disclosed in court documents.
Foo and A2 became acquainted with each other soon after.
The prosecutors said: “In October 2017, the company was awarded the main contract for the construction of Prince Edward Road station and tunnels on the Circle Line, also known as the C885 project. This project was not under Foo’s purview.
“The company deployed A1 to Singapore to lead the work for the C885 project as the project director.
“A1 occupied the most senior position in the company in Singapore. A2 held the role of deputy project director for the C885 project and reported directly to A1.”
According to court documents, Foo asked A1 and A2 for a loan in 2017.

Believing that Foo would help the company’s business interests with LTA if they helped him, A1 told A2 to find a way to withdraw money from the company to bribe Foo, the prosecutors told the court.
A2 then got a man from another firm to help to issue false invoices to China Railway Tunnel’s Singapore branch, and it paid the man’s firm according to the invoices it received.
The prosecutors told the court that after each payment, the man withdrew monies in cash and passed them to some employees of China Railway Tunnel’s Singapore branch.
The prosecutors added that out of this cash, A1 and an accountant colleague delivered $100,000 to Foo on Jan 5, 2018, while A2 delivered $100,000 to him 26 days later.
Foo also received $20,000 in 2019, according to court documents.
His offences came to light in October 2018, when the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) received an anonymous complaint that he had been soliciting loans from LTA subcontractors.
He resigned from LTA in September 2019.
The prosecutors said that on Nov 21, 2019, bailors for A1 and A2 told CPIB that they had lost contact with the pair.
The trial resumes on Tuesday.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Former DBS officer jailed for illegally accessing and leaking customer details​

David Sun
Correspondent

Nov 21, 2022

SINGAPORE - A former DBS officer was sentenced to 16 weeks’ jail on Monday for accessing customer details without authorisation and disclosing them to others.
Liong Yan Sin, 32, pleaded guilty to 10 charges under the Computer Misuse Act for accessing details of customers without authorisation, and six charges under the Banking Act for disclosing customer details to his friends.
Another 42 charges, including one for cheating, were taken into consideration for sentencing.
Liong was employed by DBS as a collections officer from July 2016 to December 2018.
As part of his job scope, he was given access to the customer information system, which allowed him to retrieve customer details.
It was made clear to him when he joined DBS that he was not to access customer details outside the scope of his duties.
But from May to December 2018, he made many unauthorised searches on the system for customer details.

The court was told that he did so because he was curious about customers whose names he had chanced upon in online forums or belong to his friends or relatives.
His co-accused are Dinath Silvamany Muthalliyar and Ang Kok How.
Dinath had worked as a collections officer at DBS with Liong, before moving to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) as a levy administration manager.


From June 2018, Dinath asked Liong about the salary details of his colleagues at MOM to compare them with his own.
Between June and November 2018, Liong disclosed the salary details of five people to Dinath.
Ang and Liong were acquaintances who gambled, drank and played basketball together.


They were also mutually acquainted with a woman known as Kelly, who had borrowed money from Ang to play poker.
She owed him about $23,000 in September 2018 when she became uncontactable.
Liong used the DBS system to find Kelly’s customer details, which he then sent to Ang via WhatsApp.
DBS lodged a police report in December 2018.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran said that while none of the customers whose details were disclosed reported harassment or intimidation, Liong had abused his position and breached the trust placed on him.
Dinath and Ang’s cases are still before the courts.
For each charge of unauthorised access to customer details, Liong could have been jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.
For each charge of unauthorised disclosure of customer details, he could have been jailed for up to three years and fined up to $125,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

2 years’ jail for CNB officer who conspired to tamper with drug abuser’s urine sample​

Abdul Rahman Kadir (left) and Muhammad Zuhairi Zainuri were both convicted in September. PHOTOS: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS, ST FILE

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Nov 24, 2022

SINGAPORE – A Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer and his former colleague at the agency were given jail sentences on Thursday after they worked together to tamper with the urine sample of a drug abuser deemed to be a difficult subject.
Abdul Rahman Kadir, 46, who is under suspension, was sentenced to two years’ jail.
Muhammad Zuhairi Zainuri, 34, who resigned from CNB in February, was sentenced to one year and 10 months’ jail.
Following a trial, the pair were each convicted in September of one count of engaging in a conspiracy to intentionally obstruct the course of justice.
A third officer linked to the case, Mohamed Hafiz Lan, then 41, was sentenced to 18 months’ jail in August 2020 after he pleaded guilty to a similar charge.
In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutors Alan Loh and Thiagesh Sukumaran stated in their submissions that drug abuser Maung Moe Min Oo, 32, and a Thai woman were at the Woodlands Checkpoint at around 11pm on Aug 15, 2018, when they were detained for suspected drug consumption.
Maung, who is a Singaporean, knew that he would fail his drug test as he had earlier consumed methamphetamine.

The prosecution said: “As an ex-drug offender who had been sent to a drug rehabilitation centre (DRC) previously, Maung also knew that if his urine again tested positive for illegal drugs, he would be sent to the DRC for a second time.
“Maung feared that if he was sent to the DRC again, his wife would leave him and he would lose custody of his two children.”
While they were in an interview room, Maung asked Abdul Rahman to help him pass an instant urine test (IUT) as he knew that his own urine sample would test positive for methamphetamine.
Meanwhile, Zuhairi left the interview room at 12.17am to speak to Hafiz, and they agreed that they would tamper with Maung’s urine sample by swopping it with another sample that would produce a negative IUT result to expedite his departure from the CNB office.
The DPPs told Principal District Judge Victor Yeo that Hafiz urinated into a bottle and walked out at 12.20am.
Instead of Maung’s urine, Hafiz’s sample was then used to test for drugs.
Maung and the Thai woman later passed the urine tests, and officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority escorted the pair out of the CNB office at around 1.20am. The pair then left for Malaysia.
The offence came to light when a different CNB team detained Maung at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Aug 17, 2018.
The DPPs said: “The conspiracy was subsequently unravelled when Maung explained that Abdul Rahman had helped him pass his previous IUT, which was administered (the day before).”
Maung’s urine was later found to contain traces of methamphetamine and he was detained at a DRC.

 

[mudhatter]

160th ranked media in a dictatorial propaganda-filled jurisdiction. an obtuse populaton with no IQ no inventiveness no originality no culture no history no civilization no talents no scenery no brands nothing of note would be dumb enough to fall for such obvious propaganda.


laughable. the propaganda is simply laughable.

 

[Singapore Dancing Spirit]

LKY did help to change the third world country into first class

Now 3G changed back to where it was before LKY era.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Three people fined over bribes given to then SBS Transit senior engineers​

(From left) Lim Tong Keong, Poh Beng Chye and Wang Hairu. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Nov 29, 2022

SINGAPORE - Three people from different companies were fined on Tuesday in graft cases linked to at least one of two then senior engineers of SBS Transit (SBST).
Poh Beng Chye, 59, was fined $15,800 over bribes given to the two engineers, Tan Hoon Gee, 46, and Lau Yuen Fai, 60.
The sole proprietor of machinery spare parts supplier Clear Cut Engineering (CCE) at the time of the offences had pleaded guilty to three graft charges.
Meanwhile, Lim Tong Keong, 58, who was then the owner of consultancy firm LTK Engineering Services, was fined $13,800 on Tuesday over two graft charges linked to Tan.
A third offender, Wang Hairu, 51, was fined $14,200 after she pleaded guilty to two counts of corruption, also involving Tan.
At the time of the offences, she was a director at electronic component supplier VT Global Marine Engineering.
The cases involving Tan and Lau are pending.


In an earlier statement, SBST‘s vice-president (special grade) of customer experience and communications, Ms Grace Wu, said that the pair are no longer working for the company.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Colin Ng told the court on Tuesday that Poh and Lau were friends.
On Lau’s recommendation, CCE was appointed as an approved SBST vendor some time in 2007 or 2008.

The DPP said that on May 12, 2021, Lau approached Poh for a $1,000 loan.
The prosecutor added: “(Poh) knew that Lau would have difficulty repaying the loan of $1,000 to him... (Poh) also knew that it was ‘wrong’ for him to be extending a loan to Lau as CCE was a vendor of SBST.
“Nonetheless, (Poh) agreed to extend the loan of $1,000 to Lau as he knew that by virtue of Lau’s position as a senior engineer in SBST, Lau would be in a position to continue to engage and refer jobs to CCE.”
The prosecutor said that further investigations revealed that between May 13, 2019, and May 12, 2021, Poh had extended loans totalling $2,050 to Lau.
DPP Ng told the court that in exchange for the loans, Lau had engaged CCE to carry out jobs for SBST on at least 28 occasions between May 27, 2019, and May 17, 2021.
“Save for a partial payment of an unspecified amount in 2019, Lau did not make any further repayment of the loans,” said the prosecutor.

Separately, the DPP said that Poh and LTK Engineering’s Lim were friends.
In 2019, their firms entered into a business agreement where LTK Engineering would oversee the designing of machinery parts and sourcing clients for CCE.
CCE carried out the jobs sourced by LTK Engineering and the profits from the jobs were split equally between the two firms.
DPP Ng said: “Some time in 2019, Tan told (Poh) that he needed financial assistance and asked him if he could help... (Poh) understood that Tan wanted money in exchange for engaging CCE to carry out the jobs for SBST.”
In 2020, Poh told Lim that Tan wanted money in exchange for engaging and referring jobs to CCE.
Lim agreed to the plan, and the prosecutor said that in 2020, Poh gave at least $4,800 to Tan, who then engaged CCE to carry out jobs for SBST on 39 occasions between February and December 2020.
DPP Ng also said that in 2021, Poh gave Tan at least $2,100. According to court documents, Tan then engaged CCE to carry out jobs for SBST on multiple occasions between January and July 2021.
Separately, Tan contacted VT Global’s Wang in late 2019, stating that he was facing financial difficulties.
The prosecutor told the court: “Tan told (Wang) that he could help VT Global to get more business by recommending SBST to engage VT Global to supply electrical components to SBST.
“However, (Wang) had to pay Tan a 5 per cent commission of the sale price if he managed to broker the purchase of electronic components by SBST.”
Wang agreed to the plan and on Tan’s recommendation, SBST engaged VT Global to supply electronic components to it on several occasions in 2020.
Wang then corruptly handed Tan more than $7,000 in total as reward, said the prosecutor.
Court documents did not state how the offences came to light, but Tan, Lau and the three offenders who were fined on Tuesday were later charged with graft-related offences in October 2022.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Lawyer and MP Christopher de Souza found guilty of professional misconduct, denies charge​

The tribunal found there was cause of sufficient gravity for Mr Christopher de Souza to face disciplinary sanction before the Court of Three Judges. PHOTO: GOV.SG

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent


DEC 7, 2022

SINGAPORE - Lawyer Christopher de Souza has been found guilty of professional misconduct by a disciplinary tribunal.
Mr de Souza, who is the current Deputy Speaker of Parliament and an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, was found guilty of a charge relating to his conduct while he was acting for his clients, Amber Compounding Pharmacy and Amber Laboratories.
The tribunal found that Mr de Souza had not made full and frank disclosure to the court when he was aware that his client had breached the conditions of a search order.
In fact, he helped his client prepare and file an affidavit that did not exhibit certain documents which would have revealed that Amber had breached its undertaking.
The case centred on Amber obtaining certain documents through a search order in 2018.
Amber filed a High Court suit on Feb 14, 2018, against its former employee and the new company she had set up for allegedly stealing its trade secrets.
Initially represented by law firm Dodwell & Co, Amber obtained a search order on April 13, 2018, against the defendants, subject to an undertaking that Amber was not to use the documents without further order.


On April 17, 2018, a total of 116,298 documents were seized.
Between July 31 and Oct 22 in 2018, Amber used 10 of the documents to make reports to the police, the Manpower Ministry and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau against the defendants.
This breached its undertaking not to use the documents.

Amber approached law firm Lee & Lee on Nov 28, 2018, to act for it in relation to the criminal complaints against the defendants while Dodwell & Co continued with the suit.
Mr de Souza, a partner at Lee & Lee, knew by Dec 5, 2018, that the documents had been used by Amber. He and his firm took over the suit on Dec 14.
Despite this, he helped a representative of Amber, Mr Samuel Sudesh Thaddaeus, file an affidavit on Jan 28, 2019, which did not reveal the breaches.
“The crux of the matter is what the respondent should have done upon discovery of the use of the documents and information by Amber, and specifically whether he should have informed the court and opposing counsel of the breach of the undertakings,” said the disciplinary tribunal.


In its report published on Monday, the two-member tribunal, comprising Senior Counsel N. Sreenivasan and Mr Pradeep Pillai, said Mr de Souza knew there was a duty to disclose the prior use of the documents.
“We are of the view that the failure to make such full and frank disclosure amounted to suppression of evidence by Amber, and by filing the supporting affidavit, the respondent was a party to and assisted in such suppression,” said the tribunal.
It found that there was cause of sufficient gravity for Mr de Souza to face disciplinary sanction before the Court of Three Judges on one of the five charges brought against him by the Law Society.
The tribunal dismissed the other four charges.
The Court of Three Judges, which is the highest disciplinary body for the legal profession, has the power to suspend or disbar lawyers.
When contacted for comment, Mr de Souza’s lawyers from WongPartnership said: “There is no question that Mr de Souza had acted with utmost integrity in the conduct of this matter at all times. Four of the five charges were dismissed.
“As regards the remaining charge, this is a matter now before the Court of Three Judges, and it is not appropriate for us to comment on the merits at this juncture. Suffice to say that we will strenuously resist it and argue that it too should be dismissed.”
The People’s Action Party said in a statement on Tuesday that it will determine the course of action necessary after the court gives its verdict.
“Mr de Souza has informed us that he denies any wrongdoing. He will argue his case on the one charge, on appeal before the Court of Three Judges,” said the party.
It added that integrity, honesty and incorruptibility are fundamental to the party, and that it expects all MPs to uphold the highest standards.


The disciplinary proceedings arose from a letter dated Sept 9, 2020, issued on behalf of the Court of Appeal, by the deputy registrar of the Supreme Court, to the Law Society of Singapore.
The complaint was referred to an independent inquiry committee, which was convened on Jan 13, 2021.
The inquiry committee found that Mr de Souza had breached his paramount duty to the court, which may be deemed misconduct under the Legal Profession Act, and recommended that he be fined $2,000.
The committee did not form the view that a formal investigation by a disciplinary tribunal was necessary.
The Law Society council disagreed with the findings of the inquiry committee and applied on Nov 5, 2021, to Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon for the appointment of a disciplinary tribunal.
This tribunal was appointed by the Chief Justice to hear and investigate the matter on Nov 19, 2021.
Over five days between April 6 and April 12, 2022, the tribunal heard oral testimony. Closing submissions were made on Aug 29.
The tribunal found sufficient cause in only one of the five charges that the Law Society brought against Mr de Souza.
The tribunal accepted that Mr de Souza had tried to persuade the client to make full disclosure. But the lawyer’s own failure to make such disclosure was not exculpated by the conduct of the client, it said.
“We appreciate that it is hardest for a legal practitioner to do his duty when the client is difficult. But it is in such circumstances that the legal practitioner must cleave to his or her duties to the court.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Keppel O&M to pay $88 million in settlement of Brazil corruption charges​

Keppel reiterates its zero tolerance of corruption and its ongoing commitment to ethical practices across its global operations. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Michelle Zhu

Dec 20, 2022

SINGAPORE - Keppel Corp’s offshore and marine (O&M) unit has committed to pay a total of 343.6 million reais (S$88 million) in fines and damages to the Brazilian Federal Treasury and oil giant Petrobras, in relation to corrupt payments made by a former agent of Keppel O&M in Brazil.
This results from an additional leniency agreement reached with the Brazilian authorities, after Keppel engaged in a separate negotiation process following the conclusion of its 2017 leniency agreement with the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brazil, or Ministerio Publico Federal (MPF).
The Brazilian authorities involved are the Attorney-General’s Office (AGU) and Comptroller General of the Union (CGU).
As part of the 2017 global resolution, the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore (AGC) and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had previously agreed for Keppel O&M to pay a balance sum of about US$52.8 million (S$71.5 million) within three years from the date of CPIB’s conditional warning issued in 2017.
The AGC and CPIB subsequently extended the credit period to March 23, 2023, in the light of Keppel O&M’s then ongoing discussions with CGU and AGU. They have also agreed, in principle, to allow Keppel O&M to seek crediting of up to about US$52.8 million in fines payable by Keppel O&M to the Brazilian authorities.
On Monday, Keppel said the additional leniency agreement concludes the group’s negotiations in Brazil related to Keppel O&M’s former agent in the country.
It also resolves CGU’s administrative enforcement procedure against Keppel O&M and several of its other entities, which have been suspended since 2020 amid the ongoing discussions.

Keppel O&M said it does not expect further grounds for liability in Brazil related to the corruption case, as the earlier leniency agreement with the MPF and the additional leniency agreement provide for the payment of fines and damages in connection to the same matter.
It said it has also committed to continuing cooperation with AGU and CGU, and to ongoing compliance enhancements. The group “reiterates its zero tolerance of corruption and its ongoing commitment to ethical practices across its global operations”, it added.
The latest development is not expected to have a material impact on Keppel Corp’s net tangible assets and earnings per share for the current financial year.
Shares of Keppel Corp closed at $7.22 on Tuesday. THE BUSINESS TIMES

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

20 months’ jail for ex-Surbana employee who received bribes from sub-contractors in BTO project​

Seow Koon Thong pleaded guilty to four graft charges involving four then-directors at different firms and $30,500 in bribes.. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Dec 29, 2022

SINGAPORE – A Surbana Site Supervisors employee, who was tasked to assess work performed at a Build-To-Order (BTO) project by the Housing Board, obtained bribes totalling $50,500 from seven sub-contractors.
For more than 30 months, Seow Koon Thong, 60, who was then working as a resident technical officer (RTO) for the manpower service company, actively solicited the bribes in exchange for not showing disfavour to the sub-contractors when he assessed their work at Rivervale Shores – a BTO project in Sengkang launched in 2017.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Norman Yew said: “As Seow had the power to withhold his approval of the sub-contractors’ work, (they) were pressured to give in to his demands for fear of incurring additional costs, should Seow unduly withhold his approval of their work.
“Investigations did not disclose any defect or compromise in the quality of the work performed by the... sub-contractors in the Rivervale project. None of their assigned work pertained to safety-related issues in the project. The project is still being carried out.”
Seow, who is no longer working for Surbana Site Supervisors, was sentenced to 20 months’ jail on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to four graft charges involving four then directors at different companies and $30,500 in bribes.
The four who were directors at the time of the offences were: Mr Ang Sek Chai from MW Dynamics, Mr Yue Shien Chin from Sun Power Electrical, Mr Chan Chew Leh from Reclaims Enterprise and Mr Sun Guiyang from Sun Jin Hong Construction.
Five other similar charges, including those involving the other sub-contractors and the remaining amount in bribes, were considered during sentencing.

According to court documents, the other sub-contractors involved are: Sheng Yi Construction, Hong Ann Jie Contractor and He Shun Xin Construction.
Out of the total amount in bribes received, Seow spent $15,450 on his personal expenses. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau has since seized from him the remaining $35,050.
He had worked for Surbana Site Supervisors from 2003 until his resignation in February 2021, earning $5,500 a month.

In 2017, HDB signed an agreement with infrastructure consultancy Surbana Jurong Group for the latter to provide services in the Rivervale Shores BTO project.
Surbana Jurong Group then engaged Surbana Site Supervisors to provide RTOs to supervise works at the project site.
In June 2018, Surbana Site Supervisors assigned Seow to be the sole lead RTO to oversee the work of contractors and sub-contractors at all 16 blocks of flats in the project.

Around June 2018, Seow had a meeting with Mr Chan from Reclaims Enterprise and suggested to him that they “work together”.
DPP Yew said: “Seow meant that Chan should pay him money in exchange for forbearing to show disfavour to Reclaims in relation to Seow’s assessment of Reclaims’ work at the Rivervale project.”
Mr Chan understood this meaning as well, and, feeling pressured by Seow, agreed to do so.
Seow then corruptly obtained a total of $5,000 in cash from Mr Chan between June 2018 and March 2019.
Seow also committed similar offences involving Mr Ang, Mr Yue and Mr Sun from late 2018 to January 2020.
Court documents did not disclose how the offences came to light, but Seow was charged with multiple counts of graft in April 2022.
On Thursday, defence lawyer K. Manickam said that her client had acted out of character and is extremely remorseful.
Seow’s bail has been set at $80,000, and he was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on Jan 25, 2023, to begin serving his sentence.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

S’pore’s IOC vice-president Ng Ser Miang warned, fined for interfering in World Sailing election​

International Olympic Committee vice-president and Singapore National Olympic Council board member Ng Ser Miang has been found guilty of interfering in the World Sailing 2020 election. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Deepanraj Ganesan

Jan 4, 2023

SINGAPORE – International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president and Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) board member Ng Ser Miang has been fined €1,000 (S$1,418) and served with an official warning after being found guilty of interfering in a World Sailing election.
In a notice put up on its official website last Friday, World Sailing (WS) detailed the charges facing Ng and former World Sailing Ethics Commission chairman Dieter Neupert. WS noted both had been found guilty of failing to act with integrity and interfering in the 2020 election which saw then-president Kim Andersen of Denmark narrowly defeated.
When contacted by The Straits Times, Ng, 73, said on Wednesday: “I resigned from the World Sailing Ethics Commission in December 2020. I served the World Sailing Ethics Commission as a volunteer and have done so without fear and favour, and in full compliance with its rules and regulations.
“World Sailing has no jurisdiction over me after December 2020. I have not taken part in any of their proceedings and reject any allegations and sanctions made against me by World Sailing.”
The Singaporean, who was vice-president of the International Sailing Federation (WS’s predecessor) from 1994-1998, is a veteran sports administrator and has served the IOC as a member since 1998. He was vice-president of the SNOC from 1990 to 2014 (he is now chairman of its games appeals committee and finance committee) and chairman of the Singapore Sports Council – now national agency Sport Singapore – from 1991 to 2002. He was also president of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games organising committee.
Ng was accused of failure to act with utmost integrity, honesty and responsibility and acting in a manner that is likely to compromise the impartiality of the Ethics Commission. The decision was reached by a three-member independent panel, chaired by London-based lawyer and former English Premier League footballer Gareth Farrelly. The other two members were John Shea and Laura McCallum.
In November 2020, China’s Quanhai Li was elected as the new WS president after defeating incumbent Andersen. Li’s victory came after a bitter election campaign where Andersen faced three ethical complaints against him. The World Sailing’s Ethics Commission dismissed two while the third was withdrawn. Andersen however, claimed that the complaints were part of a smear campaign against him prior to the election.

In September 2020, prior to the election result, Andersen lodged complaints against Neupert, a Swiss lawyer, and Ng relating to their conduct whilst they were members of the World Sailing Ethics Commission, alleging that their conduct was in breach of the world governing body’s regulations. He alleged that Ng and Neupert, who were part of the Ethics Commission, should not have taken part in judging his cases.
Andersen also accused Ng of misusing his IOC membership to interfere in the presidential election.
The independent panel said in its judgement that both Ng and Neupert should have stepped aside once accusations of conflict of interest had been made. Instead, Neupert managed correspondence from Andersen and continued to consult with his representatives, as well as other members of the Ethics Commission, despite the fact that the complaint was against him and Ng.
Ng and Neupert resigned from the Ethics Commission in Dec 2020 and Jan 2021, respectively.
The independent panel also noted that Ng failed to answer questions from two different disciplinary investigation officers (DIO) as they conducted their inquiries.
In its judgement, finalised on Nov 29, 2022, the panel noted: “This case was by no means straightforward. It is clear that this case was highly politicised within World Sailing and related to governance issues in relation to the operation and functioning of the Ethics Commission.
“The DIO noted that the allegations against Mr Anderson at the time, which were not substantiated, but which caused damage to his reputation, and which Mr Anderson complained with good cause, showed that there had been a campaign to influence the election and damage his reputation.”

 

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Senior SPH Media staff taken to task or have left company after review finds issues with circulation data​

A spokesman said the company had in March 2022 initiated a review of internal processes. PHOTO: ST FILE

Goh Yan Han
Political Correspondent

Jan 9, 2023

SINGAPORE - Several senior employees of SPH Media have been taken to task or left the company after an internal review found issues linked to circulation numbers.
An SPH Media spokesman on Monday said: “We have immediately taken steps to strengthen processes.
“The staff involved had been taken to task, or had left the organisation.”
The employees were not named.
The spokesman said the company had in March 2022 initiated a review of internal processes.
This included the reporting of circulation data.
“Some inconsistencies in the reporting of the data were discovered,” said the spokesman.

SPH Media cited several examples of these inconsistencies, in reply to queries from The Straits Times.
Lapsed contracts continued to be counted into circulation data.
There were also copies that were printed, counted for circulation and then destroyed; as well as double-counting of subscriptions across multiple instances.

“A project account was injected with additional funding over a period of time to purchase fictitious circulation,” the spokesman said.
“Certain circulation numbers were arbitrarily derived,” she added.
These resulted in a discrepancy of between 85,000 and 95,000 daily average copies across all titles, which represents 10 to 12 per cent of the reported daily average circulation, the spokesman added.
SPH Media publishes The Straits Times and The Business Times, as well as Lianhe Zaobao, Shin Min Daily News, Berita Harian and Tamil Murasu.
The review was initiated shortly after SPH Media was spun off in December 2021 from mainboard-listed company Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) to become a not-for-profit entity - a company limited by guarantee (CLG).
The period of review was from September 2020 to March 2022.
This period included a full financial year, from September 2020 to August 2021, plus two quarters - from September 2021 to November 2021, when the media business was still part of the listed company, as well as from December 2021 to March 2022, when SPH Media had become a CLG.
SPH had first expressed intent in May 2021 to transfer its media business to a company limited by guarantee, to help secure funding from public and private sources.
The move was approved in September 2021 by shareholders of SPH, which, like other media companies globally, had struggled with falling advertising revenue and losses in recent years.
Following the move, the Ministry of Communications and Information said in February 2022 that SPH Media would get government funding of up to $180 million annually over the next five years, and the company would be required to provide half-yearly progress updates.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Daily circulation numbers of SPH Media titles found to have been inflated by 10% to 12% in internal review​

There were instances where copies were printed, counted for circulation and then destroyed.

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) building in Toa Payoh. (Photo: TODAY/Najeer Yusof)

Lee Chong Ming​

09 Jan 2023


SINGAPORE: Daily circulation numbers of SPH Media titles were found to have been inflated by between 85,000 and 95,000, or about 10 to 12 per cent of the reported daily average circulation, The Straits Times reported on Monday (Jan 9).
There were instances where copies were printed, counted for circulation and then destroyed, as well as double-counting of subscriptions.
The practices came to light during a review on internal processes in March 2022.
In response to CNA's queries, an SPH Media spokesperson said: "Some inconsistencies in the reporting of the data were discovered, and we have immediately taken steps to strengthen processes.
"The staff involved had been taken to task, or had left the organisation."
SPH Media did not say how long the practice had been going on for. The staff involved were not named.
Apart from printing copies to be counted for circulation before being destroyed, The Straits Times also reported other examples of the inconsistencies discovered.
Lapsed contracts continued to be counted into circulation data, it reported, citing an SPH Media spokesperson.
“A project account was injected with additional funding over a period of time to purchase fictitious circulation,” the spokesman added.
“Certain circulation numbers were arbitrarily derived.”
The titles published by SPH Media include The Straits Times, The Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Shin Min Daily News, Berita Harian and Tamil Murasu.
The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said in a statement on Monday that it has asked SPH Media to share its full findings and has recently received SPH Media's internal report on the matter.
“MCI will undertake our own review to determine if these inconsistencies in circulation data affect the decision to fund, and the amount the Government committed to fund SPH Media," said the spokesperson.
“MCI expects SPH Media to fully cooperate with our review.”
CNA has asked SPH Media a number of additional questions, including how long the circulation data was being inflated, whether a police report has been made, and how it plans to compensate companies that bought advertising space at rates based on the false data.
The review was initiated shortly after SPH Media was spun off from Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) in December 2021 to become a not-for-profit entity - a company limited by guarantee (CLG).
The period of review was from September 2020 to March 2022, which included a full financial year from September 2020 to August 2021, and two quarters - from September 2021 to November 2021, when the media business was still part of the listed company, as well as from December 2021 to March 2022, when SPH Media had become a CLG.
SPH had first expressed intent in May 2021 to transfer its media business into a not-for-profit entity amid the ongoing challenge of falling advertising revenue.
The move was approved in September 2021 by shareholders of SPH who have voted in favour of the proposed restructuring of the company.
Following the move, MCI said it will provide up to S$900 million in funding support for SMT over the next five years, and that the company will have to provide progress updates to MCI on a half-yearly basis.

 

[Singapore Dancing Spirit]

WHY aren't they named??