Three Men Jailed For Corrupt Contracts

Three individuals have been sentenced for corruption offences. They are:

a) Goh Hai Chew Edward (“Edward”) (吴海洲, 53-year-old male Singaporean), a Director of NCS Communications Engineering Pte Ltd (“NCS CE”) at the material time, was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment and ordered to pay a penalty of S$45,184.21 on 24 July 2023;

b) Lee Wen Han (“Lee”) (李玟翰, 49-year-old male Singaporean), Project Manager of NCS CE at the material time, was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment and ordered to pay a penalty of S$34,501.17 on 21 June 2023; and

c) Jeffrey Goh Sia Choon (“Jeffrey”) (吴声俊, 51-year-old male Singaporean), sole Director and shareholder of SC Integrated Engineering Pte Ltd (“SCI”) at the material time, was sentenced to 15 weeks imprisonment on 1 December 2022.

2. Investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau revealed that sometime in 2017 or 2018, Edward had contacted Jeffrey and informed him that NCS CE was sourcing for subcontractors to lay electrical cabling for a tender awarded to NCS CE for an Integration Checkout Installation Testing project (the “ICIT Project”). Jeffrey expressed his interest in bidding for the project and was introduced to Lee by Edward. Lee then briefed Jeffrey on the technical aspects of the project. Subsequently, SCI submitted a quotation for the laying of electrical cables for the ICIT Project and on 14 May 2018, SCI was awarded the job.

3. Between 17 May 2018 to 19 November 2019, after SCI was awarded the said subcontract, Edward and Lee engaged in a conspiracy to corruptly receive business flight tickets, hotel stays, electronic goods, and the reimbursement of travel expenses, among other things, as an inducement to advance SCI’s business with NCS CE and its parent company, NCS Pte Ltd. Jeffrey had agreed to the quid pro quo arrangement despite knowing that it was wrong to do so, as he wanted to maintain a good business relationship with Edward and Lee.

4. Between May 2018 and August 2020, a total of 29 purchase orders totalling about S$1,689,100 were awarded to SCI by NCS CE and NCS Pte Ltd. These 29 purchase orders included the ICIT Project and other projects sub-contracted to SCI by either NCS CE or NCS Pte Ltd.

5. For their actions, Edward, Lee and Jeffrey were each charged with 19 charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act on 18 March 2022.

6. Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption. Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to S$100,000 or sentenced to imprisonment of up to five years or to both.

7. CPIB looks into all corruption-related complaints and reports, including anonymous ones, and can be reached via the following channels:
a) Lodge an e-Complaint;
b) Email us at report@cpib.gov.sg;
c) Call the Duty Officer at 1800-376-0000; or
d) Write to us at the CPIB Headquarters @ 2 Lengkok Bahru, S159047.

8. Where possible, the report should include the following information:
a) Where, when and how the alleged corrupt act happened?
b) Who was involved and what were their roles?
c) What was the bribe given and the favour shown?