Two Former Employees Of Keppel Fels Ltd And Another Individual Charged For Corruption
On 6 January 2023, three individuals were charged in Court for allegedly committing offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. They were:
a) Thong Chee Kong (“Thong”) (湯志光, 53-year-old male Singaporean), Regional General Manager of Corus South East Asia Pte Ltd (“Corus SEA”) at the material time.
b) Tan Seng Cheh (“Tan”) (陈新星, 64-year-old male Singaporean), Senior Sub-Contract Manager and Assistant General Manager of Keppel Fels Ltd (“Keppel Fels”) at the respective material time; and
c) Wong Kok Seng (“Wong”) (黄國誠, 72-year-old male Singaporean), Senior General Manager (Group Procurement) of Keppel Fels at the material time.
Allegedly misleading Keppel Fels
2. On or around 4 March 2008, in Singapore, Thong was alleged to have knowingly given Tan a quotation from Blue Steel Pte Ltd made to Keppel Fels to purchase its scrap steel which was not intended to be a genuine offer. Sometime between 4 March 2008 and 9 April 2008, Tan was alleged to have knowingly used the said quotation in his bid analysis. These were allegedly done with the intent to mislead Keppel Fels into selling scrap steel to Corus SEA.
Allegedly giving and accepting gratifications
3. In 2007, Thong allegedly paid for Tan’s trip expenses to Italy, amounting to S$20,636.50. Further, in or before 2008, Thong allegedly paid another S$17,360 and Japanese Yen 1,240,080 for Tan’s expenses for two other trips to Japan. These were allegedly gratification that were corruptly given to Tan as an inducement for advancing the business interest of Corus SEA with Keppel Fels.
4. Earlier in 2006, Thong also allegedly paid for Wong’s and his wife’s expenses for a trip to China, amounting to S$5,850. This was allegedly gratification that was corruptly given to Wong as an inducement for advancing the business interest of Corus SEA with Keppel Fels. In 2008, Thong left Singapore. He returned only in 2022 and was arrested upon entry into Singapore.
5. For their alleged offences, the three individuals face the following charges:
a) Thong Chee Kong
i. One charge for an offence punishable under Section 6(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act; and
ii. Four charges for offences punishable under Section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
b) Tan Seng Cheh
i. One charge for an offence punishable under Section 6(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act; and
ii. Three charges for offences punishable under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
c) Wong Kok Seng
i. One charge for an offence punishable under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
6. Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption. Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence under Section 6 of the Prevention of Corruption Act can be fined up to S$100,000 or sentenced to imprisonment of up to five years or both.
7. Companies are strongly advised to put in place robust procedures in areas such as procurement and internal audit to prevent falling victim to corrupt acts by their employees. Guidance for companies on measures to prevent corruption can be found in PACT: A Practical Anti-Corruption Guide for Businesses in Singapore, which is available on CPIB’s website. Companies are also strongly encouraged to obtain certification under the Singapore Standard (SS) ISO 37001 – Anti-Bribery Management Systems, which is designed to help companies implement or enhance an anti-bribery management system to reduce corporate risk and costs related to bribery.
Reference Links:
Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau