Sentenced For Conspiring To Cheat The LTA

On 22 March 2022, two individuals are convicted and sentenced for cheating offences. They are:

a) Loh Yeok Lum (“Loh”) (羅煜霖, 67-year-old male Singaporean), who was a driver employed by Sin Trans Engineering Pte Ltd (“Sin Trans”) at the material time, was sentenced to a fine of $17,500.

b) Chua Cheng Kang (“Chua”) (蔡清江, 65-year-old male Singaporean), who was a driver employed by Sin Trans at the material time, was sentenced to a fine of $15,750.

2. Sin Trans is a company in the business of manufacturing, repair, maintenance, leasing and trading of trailers. As drivers employed by Sin Trans, Loh and Chua’s duties included sending newly manufactured trailers to the JIC Inspection Services Pte Ltd’s (“JIC”) Inspection Centre for Registration Inspection. JIC is a subsidiary of Vicom Limited and is one of the Land Transport Authority’s (“LTA”) authorised inspection centres with weighing facilities. All newly manufactured trailers have to pass the registration inspection before they are allowed onto the roads. The inspection includes the weighing of the physical trailer to ensure its unladen weight is within acceptable margins of what is specified in the approved technical drawing.

3. Investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB) revealed that sometime in 2010, Sin Trans’ trailers failed the registration inspections as the trailers were found to be lighter than what was stated in the approved technical drawings. In order to pass the inspection, Loh purchased two metal beams (one weighing one tonne and another at 300kg) and arranged to weld the metal beams onto the trailer to increase its weight to the required range. With this method, the said trailer managed to pass the inspection. Loh would often pass off the same trailer (which he had welded the beams to) for multiple other Sin Trans trailers’ inspection. In order to perpetuate this deception successfully, Loh would also alter the chassis number of that modified trailer. Loh also explained this method to Chua, who assisted by driving the modified trailer for inspection and witnessed the weighing.

4. After using the method for about 6 months or so, Loh started to weigh part of a prime mover together with the underweight trailers in order to pass the inspection. Loh again shared this method with Chua. Through their actions, Loh and Chua had deceived the LTA on 21 occasions between October 2010 and April 2012 into believing that Sin Trans’ trailers were compliant with the approved technical drawings when they were not. As a result of their deception, LTA was induced to issue the approval codes for the registration of Sin Trans’ trailers, which it would not have done so if it was not deceived. For their actions, Loh and Chua were each charged on 27 April 2021 with 21 counts of cheating, punishable under Section 417 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code.

5. CPIB investigations also revealed that Loh had engaged in a similar conspiracy with two JIC Inspection Officers to cheat the LTA into issuing registration approval codes for Sin Trans trailers on three occasions sometime in February 2014. For his actions, Loh faces an additional three counts of cheating, punishable under Section 417 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code.

6. Any person convicted of cheating under Section 417 of the Penal Code can be sentenced to imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and be liable to a fine.

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?

CORRUPT PRACTICES INVESTIGATION BUREAU