There is no corruption in Singapore...

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#1
Forum: ActiveSG camp broke agency's own rules

PUBLISHED 15 DEC 2020

In June, national sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) closed all ActiveSG indoor sport halls for a day after a group of badminton players, including a Covid-19 patient, flouted safe management measures (Virus rules flouted: 'Time-out' today at all ActiveSG indoor sport halls, June 28).

And in July, SportSG suspended the ActiveSG membership accounts of the 29 people who flouted the measures, and warned that it would "act against errant users who have infringed the regulations", including barring them from the use of ActiveSG facilities (ActiveSG accounts of 29 rule breakers suspended, July 30)

Members of the badminton fraternity in Singapore have generally adhered to the safe management measures spelt out, including having no more than five people to a court and no more than four people on the court at any one time.

Last Thursday at Jurong East Sports Hall, I saw that two courts had seven people on each court.

I highlighted this to ActiveSG personnel, who informed me that management was aware of it and that it was allowed.

I said this was in violation of its own measures and government regulations, but no action was taken.

I learnt that the activity with two coaches and numerous children was part of a holiday camp programme organised by ActiveSG.

This was apparently not the only time that this has happened. The staff told me they had highlighted this infringement of regulations to their management, but no action was taken on previous occasions.

When I went after my badminton game to speak with the management, the two coaches were in the office complaining about how I had tried to disrupt the coaching. Everyone in a position of authority at ActiveSG that I spoke to brushed me off.

How can the people charged with maintaining safety and order brush off valid feedback? Is this happening at other holiday camps organised by ActiveSG across the island?

How can you instil good sporting values when you are not leading by example? How can a government-linked organisation flout the rules while imposing them with an iron fist on the public and external coaches?

Pauline Shu Pek Yen

 

[knnb40]

#1
Forum: ActiveSG camp broke agency's own rules

PUBLISHED 15 DEC 2020

In June, national sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) closed all ActiveSG indoor sport halls for a day after a group of badminton players, including a Covid-19 patient, flouted safe management measures (Virus rules flouted: 'Time-out' today at all ActiveSG indoor sport halls, June 28).

And in July, SportSG suspended the ActiveSG membership accounts of the 29 people who flouted the measures, and warned that it would "act against errant users who have infringed the regulations", including barring them from the use of ActiveSG facilities (ActiveSG accounts of 29 rule breakers suspended, July 30)

Members of the badminton fraternity in Singapore have generally adhered to the safe management measures spelt out, including having no more than five people to a court and no more than four people on the court at any one time.

Last Thursday at Jurong East Sports Hall, I saw that two courts had seven people on each court.

I highlighted this to ActiveSG personnel, who informed me that management was aware of it and that it was allowed.

I said this was in violation of its own measures and government regulations, but no action was taken.

I learnt that the activity with two coaches and numerous children was part of a holiday camp programme organised by ActiveSG.

This was apparently not the only time that this has happened. The staff told me they had highlighted this infringement of regulations to their management, but no action was taken on previous occasions.

When I went after my badminton game to speak with the management, the two coaches were in the office complaining about how I had tried to disrupt the coaching. Everyone in a position of authority at ActiveSG that I spoke to brushed me off.

How can the people charged with maintaining safety and order brush off valid feedback? Is this happening at other holiday camps organised by ActiveSG across the island?

How can you instil good sporting values when you are not leading by example? How can a government-linked organisation flout the rules while imposing them with an iron fist on the public and external coaches?

Pauline Shu Pek Yen

same manner with those private trainer at the public swimming pool, before covid they occupied the public pool as if the public pool special built for their business operation. Some of the life guide like hooligan....
you can complain all you want or even go to the news reporter....no high value user at this places, nothing commoner like you and me can do....

 

[Cottonmouth]

Peasants cannot light candle, PAP can set fire.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#2
"Official sources told The Straits Times that Malaysia's wish to accelerate the project's construction phase by two years implied removing the need for international tenders, and ensuring the RM60 billion or more it was ploughing in from public coffers would be mostly reaped by local contractors."

Malaysian politicians want to bring forward the project by 2 years so that contracts go to politicians and cronies.

How Covid-19 killed the HSR

Shannon Teoh
Malaysia Bureau Chief

The 350-km link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore would have slashed travel times between the countries.PHOTO: EDELMAN
1 JANU 2021


KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's decision on Friday (Jan 1) to cancel the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project with Singapore was a painful one, say analysts, but a necessary move to shore up its domestic economy against the more immediate onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 350-km link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore costing an estimated RM60 to RM80 billion (S$19.8 billion to S$26.3 billion) would have slashed travel times between the countries, ramped up trade and boosted tourism when completed in 2031. Towns situated at key stops along the line in Malaysia had been expecting to welcome millions of ringgit in development and investment.

"The decision to terminate must have been a painful one at least on the Malaysian side, given that expeditious transport linkage with Singapore was viewed as transformational for the economy. But the slump brought about by the pandemic makes other domestic socio-economic priorities more urgent, leaving Malaysia in no position to proceed with the HSR at the moment," Singapore Institute of International Affairs' senior fellow Oh Ei Sun told The Straits Times.

The project, agreed to in 2013 and signed on in 2016, was temporarily shelved in 2018 by then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, citing the high debt - over RM1 trillion - left behind by the previous administration of Najib Razak, which had initially pursued the rail link with Singapore.

The deadline to proceed was shunted further from May 2020 to December 2020, as both countries reeled from the coronavirus outbreak. But while Singapore could dip into its reserves to weather the downturn, Malaysia has had to borrow to fund stimulus packages that are expected to push the fiscal deficit to 6.0 per cent in 2020 and 5.4 per cent in 2021.

The recession caused by shutdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus is set to cause Malaysia's economy to contract by 3.5 to 5.5 per cent this year. Kuala Lumpur had hoped to achieve a fiscal balance by 2023, a goal it has since abandoned.

Moreover, the sudden collapse of international travel during the pandemic would have given policymakers pause in investing to increase such capacity.

"It's a setback to medium-term aspirations of deeper Asean integration, but also a nod perhaps to the realisation that borders can be shut with startling speed and as seen with the aviation industry, result in dire circumstances for such transnational links," said Barclays' regional economist Brian Tan.

On Friday Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mustapa Mohamed said the project was terminated after both countries failed to agree on changes proposed by Malaysia in light of the global outbreak.

He said "a number of alternatives to reduce the cost" explored since late-2018 "has become more urgent with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic" that "adversely affected Malaysia's fiscal position".

"More importantly, the proposed changes to the project structure would have allowed us to leverage on the HSR project to accelerate Malaysia's economic recovery post the Covid-19 pandemic, by bringing forward the start of the construction phase by almost two years. This would have provided a much-needed boost to our construction sector and its supporting ecosystem," said Datuk Seri Mustapa, who is in charge of the Economic Planning Unit that oversees megaprojects like the HSR.

Official sources told The Straits Times that Malaysia's wish to accelerate the project's construction phase by two years implied removing the need for international tenders, and ensuring the RM60 billion or more it was ploughing in from public coffers would be mostly reaped by local contractors.

Firms from China, Japan and France had shown interest in bidding for HSR contracts but should a domestic tender be called, they would likely have to form JVs with Malaysian partners.

Mr Mustapa had said "a detailed study to explore all possible options" would now be conducted and explained "the new project structure" that could not be agreed with Singapore would have provided "the government the flexibility in financing options, such as deferred payments, public-private partnerships and the possibility of accessing financing at favourable rates". He did not provide further details.

However, Malaysian news reports have quoted unnamed sources as saying the Cabinet is looking at implementing the HSR without Singapore's involvement and terminating the line in Johor, just across the border with Singapore. Sources with knowledge of the matter have confirmed this option, telling The Straits Times that the existing Express Rail Link (ERL) that connects Kuala Lumpur to its international airport in Sepang some 57km away, could be extended with a potential station at Senai Airport, which serves Johor.

Former prime minister Najib slammed the decision to derail the HSR - a marquee project of his administration - saying "the dream of joining two of the largest economies and capitals in Asean will not be achieved" and "economic benefits for Malaysia from this project will shrink by trillions of ringgit".

Claiming the estimated tourism spend of Singaporeans in Malaysia was RM25 billion annually, Najib said "if the HSR can increase tourists from Singapore by just 50 per cent, the amount spent by Singaporeans could increase by RM12.5 billion per year". This would more than pay back the cost of the project within a decade, he concluded.

The former premier, who has been convicted of graft relating to the 1MDB scandal, also implied that cancelling the HSR and investing in a domestic alternative gave the current government free rein to award construction contracts.

"One of the benefits for the Malaysian government is that it can make all procurement decisions to hand contracts to any party compared to the JV model previously where all procurement and vendor selection must be evaluated, executed and supervised by both countries," he said in a Facebook post on Friday.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#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

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

 

[worcer]

Govt can do anything they want...

U can just sux it!

U voted for this!

Song boh?!

Muhahahahahaa

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Singapore ranked third as least corrupt country in the world, top in Asia: Transparency International

Singapore took top spot in Asia, the only Asian country to make it to the top 10.PHOTO: ST FILE

Justin Ong
Political Correspondent

28 JAN 2021

SINGAPORE - Singapore has again made it to the top ranks of the least corrupt countries in the world based on a global survey released annually.

The Republic along with Finland, Switzerland and Sweden scored 85 points each, tying for third place in the 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index released by the global anti-graft movement, Transparency International (TI), on Thursday (Jan 28).

Denmark and New Zealand earned 88 points each to tie for top spot among the 180 countries and territories surveyed.

Singapore took top spot in Asia, and was the only Asian country to make it to the top 10.

TI chair Delia Ferrerira Rubio said the Covid-19 pandemic in the past year was as much a health and economic crisis as well as one of corruption which the world was failing to manage.

"Those with higher levels of corruption have been less able to meet the challenge," she noted. "But even those at the top of the (index) must urgently address their role in perpetuating corruption at home and abroad."

Corruption often intensifies the effects of a crisis, and when combined with a public health emergency like Covid-19, poses a threat to lives and livelihoods, said TI.
The Berlin-based non-governmental organisation cited its own research from 2019, which found that corruption deprives the global health sector of more than US$500 billion (S$$665 billion) annually.

Countries that perform well on the index invest more in healthcare, are better able to provide universal health coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms and institutions or the rule of law, added TI.

For instance, Uruguay, which scored the highest (71) in Latin America, had a robust epidemiological surveillance system aiding its response to the coronavirus, it said. At the other end of the scale, Bangladesh (26), was rife with bribery in health clinics, misappropriated aid and corrupted procurement of medical supplies.

The year in the United States, TI said, was marked by alleged conflicts of interest and abuse of office at the highest level, topped off by weak oversight of a US$1 trillion Covid-19 relief package which raised serious concerns over accountability.

As a result, the superpower continued its downward slide in the index to an all-time low of 67 points since 2012, when it was last revised.

Since that year, Singapore has not scored below 84 points or ranked lower than seventh in the index which is derived from 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives.

The situation in Singapore remains well under control with corruption-related reports on a downward trend, and public sector cases remaining low over the years, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in a statement on Thursday.

It pointed to Singapore being ranked, since 1995, as the least corrupt country in a yearly study by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) covering Asia, the US and Australia. In 2020, civil society organisation World Justice Project also ranked Singapore third - and top in Asia - in a rule of law index measuring absence of corruption in public office in 128 countries.

The bureau also noted that its most recent biennial public perception survey of over 1,000 respondents in Singapore last year found 94 per cent rating local corruption control efforts to be effective - up from 92 per cent in 2018.

“Our success comes from the public’s vigilance and resolve in keeping corruption at bay as a nation. We must not let our guard down in our fight against corruption despite the disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said CPIB director Denis Tang.

The next least corrupt place in Asia in the TI survey was Hong Kong, which came in at 11th place with 77 points. As a region, the Asia Pacific - which includes Australia and New Zealand - scored an average of 45, second only to the average of 66 for countries in Western Europe and the European Union.

More than two-thirds of all the countries attained less than 50 points, with the average score being 43. Nearly half of those on the index have remained stagnant on it for almost a decade - indicating stalled government efforts to tackle the root causes of corruption, said TI.

The anti-corruption watchdog recommended ways to stamp out graft and better respond to future crises. It urged all governments to strengthen oversight of institutions, ensure open and transparent contracting, defend democracy and promote civic space, publish relevant data and guarantee access to information.

 

[sohbuckkong]

yes Singapore govt is corruption free. only stupid people will think spore govt corrupt.

For those who think or believe spore govt corrupt, please use your brain and think and don't just think on the first layer, think deeper.

 

[sohbuckkong]

Govt can do anything they want...

U can just sux it!

U voted for this!

Song boh?!

Muhahahahahaa

I voted for PAP because it's a good govt, unlike workers party and all those shit party.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

#5

More than 4 years' jail for former NLB manager over graft offences involving nearly $600k

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Apr 29, 2021

SINGAPORE - A former manager of a National Library Board (NLB) department was sentenced on Thursday (April 29) to four years and four months' jail for corruption which involved nearly $600,000.
The court heard that the amount of bribes was one of the largest linked to the public sector.
Ivan Koh Siong Wee, 51, who worked in the department set up to spearhead NLB's move into e-books and other digital resources, was also ordered to pay a penalty of $229,000.
His friend, company director Low Pok Woen, 52, who had given the bribes in exchange for advancing his business interests with NLB, was sentenced to four years' jail.
The two Singaporeans, who committed the offences between 2005 and 2009, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of corruption involving nearly $500,000.
Another 36 other similar charges for the remaining amount were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Besides working as a manager at NLB's Digital Resource Services Department, the court heard that Koh headed a company known as Speedcuts, which provided hair-cutting services. Low was one of its employees between 2001 and 2005.
The court heard that sometime around 2004 or 2005, there was a "strategic move" within NLB towards digitalisation which refers to the "maintaining of informative digital databases, procuring of electronic resources such as e-books and e-comics and microfilming of old books".
The digital databases, e-book and e-comics maintained by NLB could then be accessed online by NLB members. NLB's Digital Resource Services Department was formed due to this move.
Koh shared news about NLB's move towards digitalisation with Low. He also said that "to earn a living", Low could explore a business opportunity in providing digital content to NLB.

In November 2005, Low incorporated a firm known as Database Resource Services to provide this service to NLB. He later set up two more firms, JCD Crossmedia and W3.XS.
At the time of the offences, Low was a director and shareholder of all three firms.
Koh was appointed as a manager of NLB's Digital Resource Services Department in 2005, making him the second in command there.
In November that year, he started asking Low for money for various personal purposes.
Low then set aside about 30 per cent of all the profits earned from his three firms' subscription contracts with NLB to be given as bribes to Koh.
In return, Koh helped advance Low's business interests with NLB in various ways.
For instance, Koh shared confidential information with Low on the digital resources that NLB was interested in.
The offences came to light after NLB's senior assistant director lodged a police report on Feb 21, 2014, stating that Low's companies might have committed fraud while supplying digital content to the board.
The court heard that Koh has since returned to Low cash totalling more than $352,000.
The two men were each offered bail of $80,000 on Thursday and they were ordered to surrender at the State Courts on May 14 to begin their jail terms.
For each count of graft, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.

 

[Rainowar]

#1
Forum: ActiveSG camp broke agency's own rules

PUBLISHED 15 DEC 2020

In June, national sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) closed all ActiveSG indoor sport halls for a day after a group of badminton players, including a Covid-19 patient, flouted safe management measures (Virus rules flouted: 'Time-out' today at all ActiveSG indoor sport halls, June 28).

And in July, SportSG suspended the ActiveSG membership accounts of the 29 people who flouted the measures, and warned that it would "act against errant users who have infringed the regulations", including barring them from the use of ActiveSG facilities (ActiveSG accounts of 29 rule breakers suspended, July 30)

Members of the badminton fraternity in Singapore have generally adhered to the safe management measures spelt out, including having no more than five people to a court and no more than four people on the court at any one time.

Last Thursday at Jurong East Sports Hall, I saw that two courts had seven people on each court.

I highlighted this to ActiveSG personnel, who informed me that management was aware of it and that it was allowed.

I said this was in violation of its own measures and government regulations, but no action was taken.

I learnt that the activity with two coaches and numerous children was part of a holiday camp programme organised by ActiveSG.

This was apparently not the only time that this has happened. The staff told me they had highlighted this infringement of regulations to their management, but no action was taken on previous occasions.

When I went after my badminton game to speak with the management, the two coaches were in the office complaining about how I had tried to disrupt the coaching. Everyone in a position of authority at ActiveSG that I spoke to brushed me off.

How can the people charged with maintaining safety and order brush off valid feedback? Is this happening at other holiday camps organised by ActiveSG across the island?

How can you instil good sporting values when you are not leading by example? How can a government-linked organisation flout the rules while imposing them with an iron fist on the public and external coaches?

Pauline Shu Pek Yen

Fuck the pap rot is at the top
To hell with lee hsien loong

 

[Rainowar]

Peasants cannot light candle, PAP can set fire.

U mean old bukit ho swee fire and the 369 market near beauty world in bukit timah that had 2 govt lackey executed?

 

[k19751234]

U mean old bukit ho swee fire and the 369 market near beauty world in bukit timah that had 2 govt lackey executed?

Insider story? Perhaps?

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Lapses found in govt financial records: MOF says there's no tolerance for fraud, corruption​

The statement followed the Auditor-General's Office yearly report issued earlier on July 22.PHOTO: ST FILE

Hariz Baharudin

Jul 22, 2021


SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday (July 22) said it takes a serious view of irregularities in records that public agencies submit for audit, and stressed that the Government has no tolerance for fraud and corruption.
The statement followed the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) yearly report issued earlier in the day, which found possible irregularities in records furnished by public agencies for audit, among other things.
MOF said every case will be thoroughly investigated, and any officer involved in such crimes will be dealt with.
"People are at the heart of our public service enterprise. We are disappointed with the instances of public officers fabricating or altering documents for audit that AGO had flagged, such as in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the People's Association.
"We take a serious view of irregularities in records furnished for audit. Such actions weaken the system of public accountability," the ministry said.
MOF added that it will "throw the book at officers involved in suspected fraud and corruption, including lodging police reports for criminal investigations to be conducted".

Meanwhile, the heads of agencies will continue to strengthen governance and controls, as well as intensify internal audits to look out for any wrongdoing. Any such issues detected will be dealt with, the ministry stressed.
"We will not waver in ensuring public accountability in the use of public funds as we continue to serve Singaporeans to the best of our efforts," it said.

Facilities management lapses​

MOF said that the AGO had conducted a thematic audit on facility management contracts under the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs. It found that both had policies and procedures in place to manage their facility management contracts.
But even though the AGO observed a number of good practices in these agencies, it suggested areas for improvement. These include strengthening the controls and supervision of contractors' compliance with contractual requirements.

MOF said that it has started working on measures to consolidate facility management and improve how agencies manage such contracts. These measures aim to drive the sharing and adoption of good practices, standardise processes and deepen capabilities across public agencies, it said.
"By 2025, about 70 per cent of public agencies will have consolidated their facility management to achieve economies of scale and better outcomes. The Building and Infrastructure Centre of Excellence led by JTC is supporting these efforts by providing advisory services and training on facility management," added MOF.

Procurement and IT lapses​

MOF said improvements are needed to address lapses in procurement and contract management, as well as in IT controls and operations, areas which were highlighted in the AGO's audit report.
The audit revealed weaknesses at the Accountant-General's Department and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, among other agencies, over the management of privileged operating system user accounts - computer accounts that give access to more secure parts of an agency's systems.
MOF said the heads of the agencies that were singled out by the AGO have reviewed each case carefully and are taking steps to address the lapses identified and enhance their agencies' systems and processes.
The ministry is also implementing government-wide steps to address these issues. These include setting up the Government Procurement Function Office to review policies and strengthen capabilities in procurement.
To improve IT controls, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group and relevant agencies are on track to implement technical systems to automate the review of privileged users' activities for 800 high-priority systems by December 2022, and all systems by December 2023.
With regard to operations management, MOF said it will ensure that regular post-payment analytics are conducted. It added that a new human resource and payroll system with better controls will be rolled out later this year.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

People's Association files police report over possible irregularities flagged by AGO​

The possible irregularities are related to the People's Association's management of Our Tampines Hub and [email protected]: LIANHE ZAOBAO, ST FILE

Rei Kurohi

Jul 22, 2021

SINGAPORE - The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) has flagged several lapses and possible irregularities related to the People's Association's (PA's) management of two large development projects, Our Tampines Hub (OTH) and Heartbeat @ Bedok (HBB).
In a statement on Thursday (July 22), the PA said it has taken immediate steps to review the management of contracts at both developments, address the lapses identified and initiate rectification of any over- or underpayments. It also made a police report over the irregularities observed at OTH, including possible falsification of documents.
The PA had engaged contractors to carry out minor building works at OTH and a managing agent to manage the facilities and supervise the contractors.
The AGO checked a sample of payments totalling $1.27 million made between April 2018 and March 2020 and found possible irregularities in the supporting documents for 34 of the 36 payments.
The irregularities included possible falsification of quotations, alteration of hard-copy payment supporting documents and the creation and backdating of documents to give the false impression that proper processes had been followed.
"As the lapses relate to serious allegations involving falsification of documents, including in relation to claims by external parties, PA has lodged a police report and investigations are ongoing," the PA said, adding that it had suspended the staff involved pending the outcome of the investigation.

The PA also said it would set up a task force led by senior officers to strengthen processes in procurement, contract and facility management, raise staff capabilities, and improve oversight of contractors and managing agents.
It will also appoint an external consultant to conduct a thorough review of its governance system and oversight functions related to contract management of all development projects, the PA added.
The external consultant will be given a "broad mandate" to review such matters and provide recommendations to strengthen PA's oversight of contract management.
Other issues flagged by the AGO include lapses in the computation of adjustments for price fluctuations for the main construction contract at OTH and weaknesses in the management and oversight of contract variations for the main construction contracts for both OTH and HBB.

This means PA could have overpaid its contractors by an estimated $2 million for building materials for OTH, such as concrete and steel reinforcements.
The AGO also checked 465 contract variations amounting to $26.48 million and found lapses in 252 or 54.2 per cent of them. Contract variations are mutually agreed changes to the terms of contracts that are already in effect.
No evidence of approval was found for 109 contract variations, while approvals for 142 of them were obtained only one month to 5½ years after works had commenced or were already completed. There were also other issues such as the use of incorrect rates, resulting in over- and underpayments.
The PA said it would work with consultants to determine the amount of over- or underpayments and take the appropriate steps.

​

The AGO also noted that two critical tender requirements were not explicitly incorporated into tenancy agreements at HBB.
For one such agreement related to the provision of childcare services, the PA had stipulated a cap on full-day childcare fees in the first two years of operation, from August 2017 to August 2019, in order to provide residents in the vicinity of the HBB with lower fees.
But the PA failed to ensure this requirement was made explicit in the tenancy agreement. This resulted in the tenant charging fees that were 23 per cent higher than the cap specified for the first two years of its operation.
The PA said this was a "unique arrangement" and the condition was not part of its standard tenancy agreement template for development projects.
It added that the tenant had agreed to refund the difference to affected parents by the end of July.
Another tender requirement related to adjustments in rent and service and conservancy charges due to a revision of tenanted floor area. This resulted in tenants being charged incorrect amounts.
The PA said it has since made the appropriate adjustments and refunded affected tenants.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Auditor-General finds wastage of $5.39m of public funds at HPB over excess fitness trackers, overpayment at PSD​

The AGO detailed these findings, among others, in a report released on July 22 on government accounts for the 2020/2021 financial year.PHOTO: ST FILE

Hariz Baharudin

July 22, 2021

SINGAPORE - The roll-out of a national fitness challenge by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) was found to have wasted $5.39 million of public funds, due to fitness trackers that were not put to use, the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) has said.
In its annual audit of government accounts, the AGO also flagged that erroneous claims paid to ineligible officers or pensioners over a period of more than two years which were administered by the Public Service Division (PSD) resulted in the possible overpayment of around $500,000.
The AGO detailed these and other findings in a report released on Thursday (July 22) on government accounts for the 2020/2021 financial year.
In all, the unmodified audit opinion on the Government financial statements covered the financial statements of all 16 ministries as well as eight organs of state, three statutory boards, four government-owned companies and two other accounts.
AGO also carried out selective audits of eight statutory boards whose financial statements were audited by the external parties.
Responding to the AGO report, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said the audit report is an independent verification that the Government’s accounts are reliable and prepared in accordance with the law.

But it also acknowledged there is room to do better, adding that the Government takes AGO’s observations seriously. “Where there are lapses, we undertake corrective actions and learn from them,” MOF said.
Several government ministries and agencies were flagged by the AGO for lapses in five broad areas.
They are:

Lapses in management of operations and weaknesses in controls​

For the Health Promotion Board, the AGO noted that its lapses pertained to the National Steps Challenge seasons 1 to 5, which had ended between one and five years prior to the audit. AGO’s checks found an excess of 268,000 fitness trackers valued at $4.26 million in total.

Following this discovery, the Health Promotion Board carried out a full stock count in January this year, which found that it actually had 341,000 excess trackers, valued at $5.39 million in total.
The audit office noted that while the stock of trackers was properly accounted for, the Health Promotion Board’s processes were inadequate to ensure.
“The receipt and distribution of trackers involved manual processes and multiple external parties. There was no central monitoring of the movement and stock of trackers; records maintained were incomplete; and there was no periodic reconciliation of records with physical stock on hand,” it said.
The Health Promotion Board said on Thursday that it has taken immediate steps to remediate the lapses and strengthen its processes.
“The over-estimation of final demand arose as HPB had pre-emptively topped up its stock of fitness trackers each season based on the observed interest from the public, which manifested for example in long wait times and queues from tracker collection. For future seasons of the National Steps Challenge, HPB will be more conservative in our projections,” it said.

AGO's checks found 268,000 excess fitness trackers at a total value of $4.26 million. PHOTO: ST FILE

On the lapses found in the claims administered by the Public Service Division, AGO said that it discovered these erroneous claims while it was auditing medical and dental claims in the civil service.
The office found 9,500 possible erroneous claims paid to ineligible officers/pensioners over the period of Jan 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020.
AGO said: “While this amounted to only 0.3 per cent of the three million claims processed during this period, the estimated possible overpayment by the Government was not small, at around $0.5 million.”

Weaknesses in IT controls​

AGO singled out weaknesses at the Accountant-General’s Department and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority over the management of the privileged operating system user accounts.
These refer to computer accounts that give access to more secure parts of an agency’s systems, including the ability to make changes to audit logs, change the access of other users access and adjust security settings.
AGO also noted that for the integrated logistics management system in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), there was no segregation of duties for the person reviewing administrator activities and the person performing those activities. “
Unauthorised activities could compromise the respective servers and affect the processing and recording of financial transactions in the servers,” it said.

Possible irregularities in records furnished for audit​

In its audit of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, AGO found that some supporting documents for claims appeared to have been photocopies, with alterations made to the dates and duration of services rendered.
At the Ministry of Education (MOE)and MHA, AGO said it came across instances of supporting documents created or even backdated to satisfy queries.
For the Housing Development Board, it was found that quotations for some items could have been created or altered to give the impression that they were obtained from other suppliers.
At the People’s Association (PA), possible irregularities suggested falsification of quotations, alteration of hard copy payment supporting details and the creation and backdating of documents.
AGO said that following its observations, the relevant agencies had carried out investigations and lodged police reports where appropriate. It added that the entities audited take the audit observations seriously and are committed to address the lapses and weaknesses.

​

Lapses in procurement and contract management​

The audit revealed that an officer with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore had detailed discussions with a tenderer to make significant changes to its proposal, and had also informed the tenderer to start work even before the tender was awarded.
AGO also noted similar shortcomings in PA, where lapses in adjustments for price fluctuations of construction materials for a development project, among others, were carried out before the approval of winning quotations.
For Singapore Polytechnic (SP), AGO found that SP did not put up required reports to the central Government authority concerning two tenderers who had withdrawn their bids after the close of tenders, but before the tenders were awarded.
This is a serious matter and is ground for debarment, said AGO.

Improvements needed in management of facility management contracts​

AGO had conducted a thematic audit on facility management contracts under MOE and MHA.
While it found that both had policies and procedures in place to manage their facility management contracts and had some good practices, it suggested areas for improvement.
These include strengthening the controls and supervision of contractors’ compliance with contractual requirements.
For MOE, AGO said there could be further aggregation of procurement for services commonly used by schools.
For MHA, it said there is a need to strengthen its oversight of contractors’ compliance with contractual requirements and to ensure that contract variations were put up for deviations from contractual requirements.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Audit finds heritage items improperly deleted from NHB records, tender bids not evaluated​

Clement Yong

July 22, 2021

SINGAPORE - The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) on Thursday (July 22) flagged to the President key lapses by the National Heritage Board (NHB) in record keeping and the approval of tenders, with heritage items missing from the records, bids in tenders not evaluated and purchases often made from the most expensive option.
Another statutory board, the National Arts Council (NAC), had not done enough in the regulation of premises, with non-tenants using its spaces, including for activities unrelated to the arts.
Both statutory boards have pledged to do better and review their processes.
Referring to the NHB, the AGO said it conducted test checks of 18 tenders and found lapses in two of them, both period contract tenders where a list of goods and services are offered at pre-determined rates by contractors to the NHB for a specified time.
The nature of these contracts is such that the NHB can directly make purchases from any one of the appointed contractors without having to call for open tenders or quotations for each service thereafter.
The AGO found that in awarding these, the NHB had not properly considered tenderers' submissions, evaluating the price bids of only some of the items on the full schedule before making a decision. For instance, NHB went through the price bids for only 28.2 per cent of the items under the period contract for exhibition design services.

It also evaluated price bids for only 54.7 per cent of the items under the art handling and transportation services contract before awarding it.
The AGO added that even after the award of the contracts to a panel of contractors, the NHB's decisions regarding which contractor among them to buy individual services from was often far from economical.
Of the 435 service items bought from one contractor under the exhibition design services period contract, prices for 294 items, or 67.6 per cent, were the highest among the four experienced contractors awarded the period contract, and in one case was as much as 124 times higher than the lowest offer.
Between June and December last year, this contractor received 52.9 per cent of the total value of purchases made under this contract, totalling $476,500.

Some $53,000 could have been saved from just four purchases the NHB made from this contractor in the same period, the AGO said.
It was a similar situation with the art handling and transportation services contract, with 213 of the 256 items awarded to one contractor being higher than the prices quoted by the other experienced contractor who also won the tender.
This contractor received 91.9 per cent, worth $727,400, of the total value of purchases made under this contract between November 2019 and October 2020.
Test checks of four purchases made by the NHB from this contractor showed that the same services could have been bought for about $131,000 less from the other.
The AGO did not name the contractors.
The NHB said factors other than cost were considered in its decision making, as museums would consider the requirements of the projects and whether the contractor was capable and available.
For example, the quality of the contractor transporting artefacts is crucial to their protection so that donors and lenders will continue trusting the NHB, it told the AGO.
For the design of some exhibitions, museums had also asked for comparative quotes to ensure cost reasonableness, even if not all unit prices among those awarded the period contract were evaluated.
Following the AGO's findings, the NHB will review the items in the two period contracts and seek approval to remove those with rates assessed to be high. Future tenders will also be more carefully designed. The quality component of the evaluation criteria will be better set out.
As for the NHB's records of heritage materials - which it reported to be worth about $500m - the AGO found hundreds of discrepancies between entries in NHB's manual and automated records, which are spread out over three systems.
At least seven items were not recorded, indicating that the records were incomplete, while the locations of 63 of 295 records that the AGO checked were wrongly logged.
In addition, 3,464 records were deleted from the Singapore Collections Management System (SCMS), used to process and track acquisitions, without supporting documents.
"AGO's view is that without supporting documents, there was a lack of assurance that the updating and removal of records from SCMS were authorised and valid," the report said.
"Good records management is important as the records of heritage materials are relied upon for tracking, stocktaking and reporting in the financial statements."
The NHB said the deletion was part of a data cleaning exercise of invalid or repeated records, and only those with the appropriate authority would have been able to review and delete them.
It said its control over heritage materials was not solely through stock counts, but also through other means like restriction of physical access to materials. It conceded the need for better documentary evidence.
The NHB is in the process of streamlining its systems and manual records into one platform, and will further review its processes, it said. As many heritage materials lack information, including those that date back to the 1880s, researching into and documenting them is a resource-intensive process and takes time.
The NAC, meanwhile, was found to have lapsed in the rental management of its 37 arts housing premises. The AGO said 74 entities which are not NAC tenants or sub-tenants either used the address of one of its premises as their registered address or possibly operated there.
Seven of these non-tenants were also using the space for activities unrelated to the arts, such as construction and logistics.
The NAC has since conducted a review and said it had found that most of these entities were related in some way to its tenants or former tenants, although it could provide documents to show this in only 10 of the 74 cases.
It has told the AGO that it will from now on require tenants to seek its approval before letting their related entities register using NAC addresses. It will further conduct annual checks against records of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and the Registry of Societies, de-register non-tenant entities, and make sure that tenants know they should not to use its spaces for non-approved uses.
It will perform checks to make sure rules are followed and carry out enforcement actions.
In addition, the AGO noted that NAC's guidelines to tenants on subletting left much to be desired. There were no requirements to declare conflicts of interest for bid evaluation by tenants when subletting their spaces. Evaluation criteria also did not need to be finalised before open calls for rental applications.
In one case, sub-tenancy agreements set out by the tenant were two to three years longer than what NAC had approved. NAC also did not check that sub-tenants fulfilled their end of the bargain, such as completing renovations amounting to at least $200,000.
The NAC said it had started to review its subletting policy to make sure the process is fair, while tightening its oversight of such spaces.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Straits Times editorial comes up with a long and positive spin on the AGO report.

The Straits Times says​

AGO report an assurance of accountability​

July 27, 2021


In its annual report last week on the accounts of public-sector entities, the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) flagged lapses in how public agencies here managed operations, made procurements and handled facilities management contracts. These ranged from weaknesses in IT controls, to a wastage of millions in public funds due to fitness trackers not being put to use. Some attendance records provided as supporting documents for claims were fabricated to meet audit requests, and disciplinary action was taken against those responsible. Police reports were also lodged in cases of possible falsification of supporting documents, including in relation to claims by external parties.
Such lapses are not new, and will happen again as long as there is room for human error and dishonesty. Even if many processes are automated, delays and variations have been known to be caused by management having different views or changing their minds during project implementation. Sometimes, contractors who are in a hurry do not wait for formal approvals and jump the gun. In other cases, public officers may be of good character and integrity, but may not be equipped to handle large and complex projects. Hence while clear and timely communication is critical, so are technical upskilling in project and facilities management, and the use of technology to minimise room for error.
One way to do this effectively is to take steps at the system level through government-wide solutions. For example, the Finance Ministry recently set up the Government Procurement Function Office to review policies and strengthen procurement capabilities. To boost IT controls, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group and other agencies are putting in place technical systems, to automate the review of privileged users' activities for some 800 high-priority systems by December next year, and all systems by December 2023. Regular post-payment analytics are also conducted, and a new human resource and payroll system with better controls will be rolled out later this year.
Ultimately, it is not the aim of the annual AGO report to name and shame. It raises awareness of financial governance issues, and is an opportunity to improve public agencies' capabilities and internal processes. The end goal is to ensure efficient and prudent use of public funds, and in the process meet Singaporeans' expectations of public service standards and operations. Together with the Public Accounts Committee - the public accounts watchdog of Parliament - the AGO plays an important role in scrutinising public accounts and calling out weaknesses, so that timely remedial action can be taken. Ensuring transparency and accountability will engender greater public confidence and trust.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Ex-deputy group director of LTA pleads guilty to taking $1.24 million in bribes​

Henry Foo Yung Thye pleaded guilty to seven counts of corruption.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Wong Shiying

Aug 26, 2021

SINGAPORE - A former deputy group director of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday (Aug 26) admitted to taking about $1.24 million in bribes in the form of loans from contractors and sub-contractors.
Henry Foo Yung Thye, who had a gambling habit and went on to chalk up debts, pleaded guilty to seven counts of corruption.
Another 29 charges, including cheating, will be taken into consideration for sentencing. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept 2.
Foo first joined LTA in 1999 and held various posts in his time there.
He was the deputy group director of the Thomson-East Coast and Cross Island lines from July 2017 to his resignation in September 2019.
His position in LTA at the time gave him oversight of the construction of MRT stations and tunnels such as Havelock, Stevens, Great World, Napier and Orchard.

Foo was also among the officials who evaluated LTA contacts and subcontracts for the upcoming Thomson-East Coast and Cross Island lines.
Of the loans he sought, the biggest sum of $200,000 was given by Tiong Seng Contractors director Pay Teow Heng in June 2017. It was in exchange for advancing the contractor's business interest with LTA.
Foo had called Pay to borrow the sum on the pretext of needing to repay his mother’s gambling debts to banks and loan sharks.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Chia told the court that Foo knew that doing so placed him in a position of conflict of interest, as LTA and Tiong Seng had an ongoing contract then.

Pay did not have enough money at the time so he approached Tiong Seng's managing director Pek Lian Guan for help.
While Pek rejected the initial request, the pair eventually agreed that Pay would borrow the money from Tiong Seng and loan it to Foo.
"The loan was given because Pek and Pay were worried that Foo might give problems to Tiong Seng in the course of overseeing the project, as they were aware that Foo was in the position to make things difficult for contractors," said DPP Chia.
Pek and Pay's cases are pending.
The other individuals Foo sought loans from were directors of firms such as China Railway Tunnel Group's Singapore branch, Tritech Engineering & Testing and MEPT Engineering.

In exchange, Foo shared with them confidential information relating to LTA tenders and promised to support them in their bid for tenders.
His offences came to light in October 2018, when the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau received an anonymous complaint that Foo had been soliciting loans from LTA subcontractors.
The bureau was also informed that Foo had requested for loans from the director of China Railway Tunnel to pay off outstanding debts.
Investigations found that the gratification was received from contractors and sub-contractors which had about $815 million in contracts with LTA. Foo oversaw the contracts.
Seeking a sentence of at least six years and three months' jail for Foo, DPP Victoria Ting said this case is the "largest case of public sector corruption to have been prosecuted in recent times".
"It is notable not only for the amount of gratification that changed hands, but also the fact that the corrupt recipient was situated in the high echelons of public service," she said.
DPP Ting added that Foo had actively solicited the loans: "Most, if not all the givers, initially turned him down. It was only at repeated requests that they agreed to give him the loans."
Foo's lawyer Lim Ker Sheon, who was representing him pro bono, said in mitigation that his client was suffering from pathological gambling disorder and it was established to have contributed to his offending.
"There was neither premeditation nor sophistry... He was a desperate man hounded by loan sharks and he borrowed money from anyone he felt close to," he said.
Mr Lim sought three years and 10 months’ jail for Foo, whom he said had "little ability to influence tender outcomes" because LTA had an "open and transparent" system of checks and balances.
Mr Lim also told the court that his client had been cooperative with the authorities during investigations.
"I've known Henry since I was five... (He) knows that he's hurt people who love him and wants to start on a clean slate when he comes out of prison. He has his two sons whom he loves very much," said Mr Lim.
Foo has since made restitution of $83,750, leaving a balance of $1,156,250.
Anyone convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to $100,000 or jailed for up to five years, or both.
If the offence is related to a matter or contract with the Government or a public body, the maximum jail term for each offence can be increased to seven years.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Lapses found in govt financial records: MOF says there's no tolerance for fraud, corruption​

The statement followed the Auditor-General's Office yearly report issued earlier on July 22.

PHOTO: ST FILE

Hariz Baharudin

JUL 22, 2021

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday (July 22) said it takes a serious view of irregularities in records that public agencies submit for audit, and stressed that the Government has no tolerance for fraud and corruption.
The statement followed the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) yearly report issued earlier in the day, which found possible irregularities in records furnished by public agencies for audit, among other things.
MOF said every case will be thoroughly investigated, and any officer involved in such crimes will be dealt with.
"People are at the heart of our public service enterprise. We are disappointed with the instances of public officers fabricating or altering documents for audit that AGO had flagged, such as in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the People's Association.
"We take a serious view of irregularities in records furnished for audit. Such actions weaken the system of public accountability," the ministry said.
MOF added that it will "throw the book at officers involved in suspected fraud and corruption, including lodging police reports for criminal investigations to be conducted".


Meanwhile, the heads of agencies will continue to strengthen governance and controls, as well as intensify internal audits to look out for any wrongdoing. Any such issues detected will be dealt with, the ministry stressed.
"We will not waver in ensuring public accountability in the use of public funds as we continue to serve Singaporeans to the best of our efforts," it said.

Facilities management lapses​

MOF said that the AGO had conducted a thematic audit on facility management contracts under the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs. It found that both had policies and procedures in place to manage their facility management contracts.
But even though the AGO observed a number of good practices in these agencies, it suggested areas for improvement. These include strengthening the controls and supervision of contractors' compliance with contractual requirements.

MOF said that it has started working on measures to consolidate facility management and improve how agencies manage such contracts. These measures aim to drive the sharing and adoption of good practices, standardise processes and deepen capabilities across public agencies, it said.
"By 2025, about 70 per cent of public agencies will have consolidated their facility management to achieve economies of scale and better outcomes. The Building and Infrastructure Centre of Excellence led by JTC is supporting these efforts by providing advisory services and training on facility management," added MOF.

Procurement and IT lapses​

MOF said improvements are needed to address lapses in procurement and contract management, as well as in IT controls and operations, areas which were highlighted in the AGO's audit report.
The audit revealed weaknesses at the Accountant-General's Department and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, among other agencies, over the management of privileged operating system user accounts - computer accounts that give access to more secure parts of an agency's systems.

MOF said the heads of the agencies that were singled out by the AGO have reviewed each case carefully and are taking steps to address the lapses identified and enhance their agencies' systems and processes.
The Government is also implementing government-wide steps to address these issues. MOF has recently set up the Government Procurement Function Office to review policies and strengthen capabilities in procurement.
To improve IT controls, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group and relevant agencies are on track to implement technical systems to automate the review of privileged users' activities for 800 high-priority systems by December 2022, and all systems by December 2023.
With regard to operations management, MOF said it will ensure that regular post-payment analytics are conducted. It added that a new human resource and payroll system with better controls will be rolled out later this year.