SINGAPORE - Police investigations into the unauthorised clearing of Kranji woodland have found that two JTC officers had misrepresented facts and given inaccurate information to their superiors, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing told Parliament on Thursday (March 10).
The case has been referred to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), which will consider appropriate disciplinary and administrative actions against the two officers, he said.
The two JTC officers - the project manager and his immediate supervisor, a deputy director - had told their superiors that the unauthorised clearance work on 4.5 hectares of the site was discovered by the project manager on Jan 13, 2021 during his site visit.
Mr Chan said this information was conveyed to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and incorporated into his answers in Parliament on Feb 26, 2021 when he was then Minister for Trade and Industry.
Investigations have since found that clearance of those areas had commenced without NParks' approval before December 2020, said Mr Chan.
Police also found that the project manager who was in charge knew of the unauthorised clearance prior to Jan 13, 2021, he added.
"His immediate superior, the Deputy Director, also knew. It appears that they misrepresented the facts and gave inaccurate information to their superiors," said Mr Chan."
In his reply in Parliament to questions filed by 15 MPs last February, Mr Chan had said the Government would thoroughly investigate the execution of land clearing on the Kranji site.
Investigations have established that another two plots of land, which amount to more than 2.8 hectares, had also been cleared without NParks approval, he said.
Mr Chan noted that his earlier answers also stated that clearance works were suspended from Jan 13, 2021. JTC has clarified that it stopped all tree felling but had continued with other minor work like vegetation clearing, he said.
The inaccurate information conveyed to MTI by the two JTC officers meant "some of the information I presented to Parliament, based on what they had said, was therefore inaccurate", he added.
Mr Chan, who spoke near the end of Thursday's parliament sitting, said police has just concluded their investigations and presented their conclusions to him and other ministers earlier this week.
He noted that after discussing with the AGC, he was satisfied that he could update Parliament on what the police have found but emphasised that the facts presented are based on the police's view.
"What I have said above is based on the police view, which could well be contested in court if the matter proceeds to court," he said.
"And a court could take a different view of the facts. Second, we need to be fair to the persons who may be charged; setting out the facts here should not prejudice their fair trial."
Mr Chan said that given the unclear situation and factual disputes, the Government first wanted to rule out any possible corruption. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was asked to investigate, and concluded that there had been no corruption.
MTI is reviewing the investigation findings with JTC, and apart from possible court proceedings MTI and JTC will take appropriate disciplinary measures against the individuals responsible, said Mr Chan.
In a statement on Thursday evening, MTI said it takes "a very stern and serious view of this incident" and does not condone such misconduct.
Seperately, JTC chairman Tan Chong Meng said: "This is a serious incident and JTC acknowledges the lapses. JTC will remedy our shortcomings and improve our processes.
"We will tighten the execution of projects and compliance with rules, and ensure that JTC officers uphold the highest standards of integrity and governance in carrying out their duties."
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...inked-to-wrongful-clearing-of-kranji-woodland
Don't let this 马后炮 political theatre distract you from the fact that there was at least intention to clear the land there. Except there was a bit of a cockup, they got caught and there was backlash from the public.
