Former Employees of Footwear Retailers Charged with Alleged Corruption

On 21 October 2021, three individuals will be charged in Court for alleged corruption offences. They are:

a) Xavier Goh Yixuan (“Xavier”) (吴易铉, 30-year-old male Singapore Citizen), Assistant Store Manager of Foot Locker Singapore Pte Ltd (“Foot Locker”) at the material time;

b) Muhammad Faiz Bin Amy Jasman (“Faiz”) (28-year-old male Singapore Citizen), a Sales Associate of AW LAB at the material time; and

c) Meng Fanxuan (“Meng”) (孟繁萱, 27-year-old male PRC National and Singaporean Permanent Resident).

2. Sometime between August 2020 and January 2021, Xavier is alleged to have corruptly obtained bribes totalling S$12,189 on 36 occasions from Meng and two other individuals, as rewards for revealing confidential insider information relating to the launch of limited-edition sneaker shoes and/or the restocking of discounted sneaker shoes. For his actions, Xavier faces three charges for offences punishable under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with Section 124(4) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

3. Sometime between September and October 2020, Faiz is alleged to have corruptly obtained bribes totalling S$5,295 on nine occasions from Meng and another individual, as rewards for reserving limited-edition sneaker shoes on behalf of the respective individuals. For his actions, Faiz faces two charges for offences punishable under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with Section 124(4) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

4. Sometime between September 2020 and January 2021, Meng is alleged to have corruptly given bribes totalling S$5,681 to Xavier on a total of 22 occasions, as rewards for revealing confidential insider information relating to the restocking of discounted sneaker shoes and the launch of limited-edition sneaker shoes. Meng is also alleged to have corruptly given bribes totalling S$1,500 to Faiz on a total of 5 occasions between September and October 2020, as rewards for reserving limited-edition sneaker shoes for his own purchase. For his actions, Meng faces two charges for offences punishable under Section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with Section 124(4) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

5. 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.

6. 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:

• PACT: A Practical Anti-Corruption Guide for Businesses in Singapore
  

• SS ISO 37001

Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau