Three Charged for Alleged Corruption in Relation to Trading and Supplying of Bunker Fuel
On 8 June 2022, three individuals were charged in Court for allegedly receiving and giving gratification in relation to the trading and supplying of bunker fuel in two separate cases. They are:
a) Ng Kit Sze [“Ng”] (吴洁诗, 45-year-old female Singaporean), a Trader of Integr8 Fuels Asia Pte Ltd (“Integr8”) at the material time;
b) Lim Wei Xiong Gary [“Lim”] (林伟雄, 32-year-old male Singaporean), a Trader of Integr8 at the material time; and
c) Ong Zhi Xian [“Ong”] (王志贤, a 33-year-old male Singaporean), an Assistant Manager of Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd (“PIL”) at the material time.
2. Between 2016 and 2020, Ng had allegedly received gratification totalling about USD95,000 from two individuals on multiple occasions as rewards for advancing the business interests of their respective bunker-supply companies with Integr8. Sometime in 2020, Ng had also allegedly agreed to receive gratification of about USD15,000 from one of the two individuals for the same purpose. For her actions, Ng will face eight counts for offences punishable under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
3. In a separate case, Lim had allegedly given gratification totalling around S$1,200 on three occasions to Ong as inducement for Ong to advance the business interests of Integr8 with PIL between December 2020 and March 2021. Sometime in April 2021, Lim had also allegedly agreed to give gratification of about S$400 to Ong for the same purpose. For their actions, Ong and Lim will each face four counts for offences punishable under Sections 6(a) and 6(b), respectively, of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
4. 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 5 years or to both.
5. 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