S
Sauron
Guest
Oct 11, 2010
Whistle-blower fined $200k
By Khushwant Singh
THE former chief executive of listed company AEM-Evertech Holdings, who blew the whistle on bribery in the precision tools firm, was fined $200,000 for his role in two offences. Ang Seng Thor, 46, had pleaded guilty last month and the prosecution had argued for a jail term. In sentencing Ang on Monday, District Judge John Ng pointed out that while whistle-blowers undoubtedly deserved a 'discount', this did not mean that they were automatically spared jail time unless there were other exceptional factors.
In this case, the judge pointed out, Ang not only exposed the offences, but also cooperated with the authorities and had even volunteered to be a prosecution witness against his alleged accomplices. On Monday, Ang was also disqualified from acting as a company director for five years. Defence lawyer Wendell Wong had pleaded against jail-time during last month's hearing on the grounds that his client had not played a pivotal role in committing the offences. The court also heard that Ang, as chief executive, shared the position of managing director with Mr Tok Kian You, the firm's chairman.
Read the full report in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.
