SINGAPORE - A former Land Transport Authority (LTA) officer appeared in a district court on Tuesday (Dec 7) for allegedly retaining work-related documents on his personal laptop after he left the organisation. Benny Tan Yong Liang, 34, who used to work as an assistant environmental manager at LTA, has been charged with an offence under the Official Secrets Act. He accused of retaining the documents between Nov 20 last year and March 8, even though he had no right to do so. Court documents did not provide details about the work documents or state when he left the LTA. The Singaporean's case has been adjourned to Jan 4 next year. If convicted of the offence, he can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $1,000. More on this topic Related Story Woman who leaked number of daily Covid-19 cases last year fined $10,000 Related Story NLB deputy director charged under OSA with leaking details of phase 2 reopening
LONDON (AFP) - Manchester City and France international Benjamin Mendy on Wednesday (Nov 17) appeared in court charged with two additional counts of rape. The 27-year-old defender is facing six allegations of rape and one of sexual assault, after the new charges were added on Tuesday. The offences are alleged to been committed on four women over the age of 16 at his home in Prestbury, north-west England, between October 2020 and August this year. Mendy appeared via videolink before magistrates in Manchester from custody where he has been held since he was charged in August. The footballer, seen wearing a cream-coloured sweatshirt, spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth during the five-minute hearing. A second man, Louis Saha Matturie, 40, is facing six counts of rape and one of sexual assault and appeared alongside Mendy. District judge Margaret McCormack sent the case to Chester Crown Court, where both will appear for a scheduled hearing on Thursday. No application for bail was made and the pair were remanded in custody. A trial date has been set for Jan 24 next year. Mendy was a £52 million signing from Monaco in 2017 and has played 75 times for City but his playing time has been limited by injuries and a loss of form. The last of his 10 caps for France came in November 2019. The left-back won the World Cup with France in 2018. He has been suspended by the Premier League champions pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings. More on this topic Related Story Football: Man City’s Mendy to stand trial in January on rape charges Related Story Football: Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy charged with four counts of rape
SINGAPORE - A second man allegedly involved in a robbery at a hostel in Chinatown was charged on Tuesday (Sept 28). Angelo Ng Chek Kiang, 41, is accused of abetting the robbery at S Inn Chinatown in Temple Street at about 3am on Sept 24. He is alleged to have robbed four people of $1,000 with Goh Soon Kim, 37, while armed with a flick knife. Goh was charged on Sept 25. In an earlier press release, the police said they were alerted to the incident on Sept 24 at 3.15am. The victims were not harmed. Officers from Central Police Division and Tanglin Police Division arrested Goh at Lorong 1 Toa Payoh five hours later. Ng was arrested at Hougang Avenue 5 at around 3pm on Sept 25. Appearing in court via video link on Tuesday, Ng was read the charge in Mandarin. He told the court he had a medical certificate. He is to be remanded for a week to assist with investigations. The prosecutor said he is being investigated for other similar offences, and that bail will be offered to him after investigations are completed. His case will be heard again on Oct 5. Goh's case will be heard again on Oct 1. Those convicted of robbery may be jailed for up to 14 years and caned. More on this topic Related Story Man arrested for armed robbery involving about $35,000 in cash and jewellery Related Story Man arrested for armed robbery at Bukit Batok licensed moneylender involving $22,000
SINGAPORE - A Rolex watch and a "Chanel" labelled wallet were what two employees obtained while working at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS). But they were not rewards for good work but ill-gotten gains. One of the duo, Barry Chong Peng Wee, 54, allegedly received bribes of more than $2.4 million over 12 years. Chong, who is also known as Danial Chong, was charged on Friday (Sept 10) with 107 counts of corruption involving the bribes between 2005 and 2016. He also faces one count of converting a part of his ill-gotten gains by using $15,900 to buy a Rolex watch in 2013 - an offence under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Eleven other people linked to Chong's alleged offences were also charged with multiple counts of corruption on Friday. They are Chin Fong Yi, 44, who also worked for WRS, and 10 men who bribed Chong to advance the business interests of their companies. Court documents did not say what Chong and Chin worked as at WRS. Chin is said to have obtained bribes of more than $50,000 from two of the men between 2010 and 2015. These were for not reporting that the duo's company, Shin Yong Construction, was giving bribes to Chong. Chin is accused of receiving a "Chanel" labelled wallet worth $1,250 from another Shin Yong Construction personnel in 2014, for exercising leniency in supervision of works related to a WRS project. She also allegedly used more than $33,000 of the money she obtained to pay for branded bags, shoes and jewellery between 2012 and 2015. In total, she faces 63 charges for corruption and 16 for offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. The 10 men are said to have conspired in overlapping pairs and groups of up to eight members to bribe Chong. Three of them are from Shin Yong Construction. They are Toh Say Yong, 66, who was its director, and two employees - Too Say Kiong, 55, and Toh Yong Soon, 36. Toh Say Yong and Too are allegedly the duo who also bribed Chin, while Toh Yong Soon purportedly gave the wallet to her. More on this topic Related Story Former LTA deputy group director jailed 5½ years in $1.24 million graft case Related Story 3 jailed over $124k graft case linked to ex-embassy official Of the remaining seven men, two are from KK. Iron Engineering. They are To Chai Kiat, 47, who was its director; and Chong Yun Chia, 37, who was a project manager. The rest are: - Lim Thiam Poh, 63, who was the owner of Thiam Lee Tradings Construction; - Chong Chee Wai, 45, who was the owner of Katana Engineering; - Tan Chuan Hong, 45, who was the director of Hong Power Engineering; - Wong Eng Kuen, 42, who was the director of Ultron Construction; and - Koh Kian Hee, 39, who was the director of building construction firm Geoscapes. Koh is additionally accused of bribing Chong Yun Chia and two other individuals - who were not charged on Friday - on various occasions in 2016 to create fictitious invoices. Offenders guilty of corruption can be jailed up to five years, or fined up to $100,000, or both. Those guilty of an offence under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act can be jailed for up to 10 years, or fined up to $500,000, or both. In a statement on Friday, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau advised companies to put in place robust procedures in areas such as procurement and internal audit, to avoid falling victim to any corrupt acts by employees. Separately, three of the firms which some of the 10 men were from - Shin Yong Construction, Hong Power Engineering and Geoscapes - had got into trouble in relation to WRS projects before. More on this topic Related Story Former manager at BP and businessman jailed for 4½ years each in graft case Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories They participated in anti-competitive agreements to rig the bids for eight tenders and quotations called by WRS between July 1, 2015 and Oct 6, 2016. These were for building, construction and maintenance services. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore imposed financial penalties of about $32,000 collectively on the three companies in June last year.
SINGAPORE - A police sergeant was on Thursday (Sept 2) charged with corruptly soliciting a romantic relationship from a woman in exchange for helping her when she got into trouble with the authorities. Sean Teo, a 25-year-old Singaporean, faces one count of corruption, one under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and another under the Computer Misuse Act. On Nov 2, 2019, Teo had allegedly misused a computer belonging to the Singapore Police Force to obtain information about people who had been arrested in an operation that day. He was not authorised to retrieve that data. A month later, he is said to have sent a photograph relating to the same operation to a woman he was interested in. It is not clear if the woman was one of those arrested in the operation. He then allegedly tried to persuade her to be in a relationship with him on the premise of helping her in her case with the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). The woman rejected his request. Court documents did not state what the woman's case was with the CNB and how Teo was planning to help her. It is also unclear how they got to know each other. The Straits Times has contacted the police to ask if Teo is still with the force. His case will be heard again on Sept 30. In a statement on Thursday, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said it adopts a "strict zero-tolerance approach" towards corruption. "CPIB will not hesitate to take firm action against offenders, including public officers who abuse their position of authority and tarnish the image of the public service," the bureau said. If convicted of corruption, Teo can be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both. Under the Computer Misuse Act, he can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000 on each charge. An offence under the OSA carries a maximum sentence of $2,000 fine and two years' jail. More on this topic Related Story 2 years' jail for cop who lied to get sexual favours from different women Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - A former inspection officer of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has been charged with accepting a $600 bribe from a construction company in exchange for showing leniency during an inspection. Tan Ming Lie, a 32-year-old Singaporean, was handed two counts of corruption on Friday (Aug 27). Court documents state that Tan, a temporary worker at BCA, had allegedly taken the bribe in November last year from one Goh Tock Tan, the general manager of Domain Trading & Construction. Domain was then managing a construction site located at 69 Begonia Drive in the Yio Chu Kang area. The alleged bribe, which sought to induce Tan to "not show disfavour" in a BCA inspection at the site, took the form of payment for consultancy services provided to Domain. At around the same time, Tan allegedly tried to obtain bribes from a project manager of construction company Sin Hock Keong in exchange for the same benefit. The project manager rejected his request and reported the matter to BCA. A BCA spokesman told The Straits Times that Tan worked there for about two months and was dismissed from his post after an internal investigation. The matter was subsequently referred to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). "As the matter is now before the courts, we are unable to comment further," the spokesman said. In a statement on Friday, CPIB said it adopts a "strict zero-tolerance approach" towards corruption, adding that all corruption complaints and reports are looked into, including anonymous ones. If convicted of corruption, Tan can be fined up to $100,000 or jailed for up to five years, or both. If the offence is related to a matter or contract with the Government or a public body, the maximum jail term for each offence can be increased to seven years. More on this topic Related Story 3 S'poreans jailed for role in corruption case linked to Indonesian embassy's labour attache Related Story Former SMRT employee and two others charged in corruption cases involving over $54,000
SINGAPORE - While working as an assistant buyer for SMRT, a 43-year-old man allegedly took bribes of more than $54,000. Soh Choon Heng was one of three individuals charged with corruption on Friday (Aug 20). The other two, from whom Soh is said to have taken bribes, are Yong Ming Jun, 39, and Wong King Mooi, 47. Soh and Yong are Singaporeans and Wong is a Malaysian. Yong was the director of Euro Bremse, a company selling and supplying motor vehicle spare parts and accessories, at the time of the alleged offences. Wong was then the director of CEE Technologies, a company dealing with electrical works. Soh, now described as a former SMRT employee, is said to have got at least $24,450 in bribes from Yong between 2016 and last year. He is also accused of receiving at least $28,700 in bribes from Wong between 2017 and 2019. The bribes from both Yong and Wong were allegedly given to Soh as a reward for providing them with information on quotations made to SMRT by other vendors. Soh allegedly received at least $900 in bribes from another individual, Lee Won Jong, in 2015 for a similar act. Court documents state that Lee was the director of Alturan at that time. An online search shows the company is in the "wholesale trade of a variety of goods without a dominant product". It was not stated in court records if Lee has been charged over his alleged involvement. Soh faces nine counts of corruption, Yong faces five, and Wong three. Soh is also charged with four counts of forgery. He is said to have fraudulently appended the signature of an SMRT procurement manager on two documents in November 2017. More on this topic Related Story Ex-employee in management corporation of Bugis Junction fined $45,000 for corruption Related Story Hin Leong founder O.K. Lim facing 23 more forgery-related charges In addition, he is accused of doing so for the signature of SMRT's director of procurement on two other documents in December 2017 and in May 2018. Soh's case will be heard again on Sept 8. The cases of Yong and Wong are scheduled to be heard again on Sept 16. Anyone guilty of corruption can be jailed up to five years, or fined up to $100,000, or both. Those convicted of forgery can be jailed up to four years, or fined, or both.
SINGAPORE - A woman has been charged with the murder of her eight-year-old daughter. The 35-year-old is alleged to have caused the death of the girl sometime before 11.38am in Geylang Lorong 31 on Tuesday (Aug 10). In an earlier statement, the police said that they were alerted to an incident in a residential unit in Geylang at around 11.40am on Tuesday. Officers found the child lying motionless with multiple wounds. She was unconscious when she was rushed to a hospital and was pronounced dead at 12.45pm. The police arrested her mother. The woman will be remanded and her case has been adjourned. Offenders convicted of murder will face the death penalty. More on this topic Related Story 9 months' jail, fine for father who bit, choked, tied young son and said he hated him Related Story Remains found in pot case: Mum gets discharge not amounting to acquittal for murder of toddler
SINGAPORE - Three men are facing multiple charges over an alleged conspiracy to cheat the National University of Singapore (NUS). Liaw Jinle, 33, then a laboratory executive at the university, is said to have made a deal to split the profits from contract jobs with companies that Gan Yee Aun, 34, and Sandy Tan Wei Jie, 33, ran. All three were present before a district court on Friday (July 16) when they were charged with cheating and corruption. Liaw faces 11 charges, Gan seven, and Tan four. At the time of the alleged ruse, Liaw was the laboratory executive with the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials, while Gan was the director of HOH Multitrade and Laco Management, and sole proprietor of Ian OTM Services and GW Ways Enterprise. Tan was the sole proprietor of WJK Tan Trading and Infinity Dynamic Consultancy and Services. Between November 2017 and February last year, Gan's companies were allegedly awarded 72 jobs for the supply of laboratory goods and services totalling about $196,500, some of which were short-supplied or not supplied at all. Similarly, Liaw allegedly assisted Tan's companies to obtain 40 jobs with the Centre for the supply of laboratory goods and services which totalled about $136,700 from March 2019 to December 2019. Some of these goods and services were short-supplied. Both Gan and Tan are said to have provided Liaw with false supporting quotations to mislead NUS into awarding jobs to their companies. NUS paid their companies for the awarded jobs while Liaw is said to have concealed his interest in these transactions from the university. All three men are out on bail. Tan and Gan are scheduled to be in court next on July 30 and Liaw on Aug 30. Those convicted of corruption can be fined up to $100,000, jailed up to five years, or both. Any person convicted of cheating can be jailed for up to 10 years, and also be fined. More on this topic Related Story Former NUS professor and ex-research fellow charged with forgery and cheating Related Story $4,000 fine for NUS dropout who forged degree certificate to get part-time teaching job
SINGAPORE - A youth who was caught on video last December doing a backflip inside a white rhinoceros enclosure at the Singapore Zoo was charged in a district court on Monday (July 12) with offences including vandalism. Ralph Wee Yi Kai, 19, is also accused of two counts of mischief and one count of criminal trespass. The Singaporean teenager is accused of trespassing into the rhinoceros enclosure at around 2.40pm on Dec 17 last year. Separately, he allegedly committed an act of vandalism at around 2.40am on Oct 9 last year by hitting an information panel at a bus stop in Sixth Avenue off Bukit Timah Road, causing $900 in damage. He is also said to have caused damage to two cars at the nearby Sixth Crescent that morning by hitting their side mirrors. Wee is accused of causing nearly $2,800 in damage to a Mercedes Benz and more than $1,600 in damage to a BMW. In a statement on Sunday evening, the police said that officers were alerted to the case at the Singapore Zoo at around 5.40pm on Dec 17 last year. "Preliminary investigations revealed that the man's companion, an 18-year-old woman, allegedly filmed him before the man posted the video on his TikTok account, using the moniker @ralphwee_. "Through investigations, officers from Woodlands Police Division established the identities of the man and woman on the same evening," the police added. Following investigations and after consulting the Attorney-General's Chambers, the police issued a stern warning to the woman last Thursday for abetting criminal trespass. Her identity was not disclosed in court documents. The police warned that they would "take a strong stance against persons who blatantly disregard rules of public attractions and commit selfish acts that may endanger their lives". Videos that circulated online showed the youth doing a backflip inside the enclosure before leaping over a barricade and back onto the visitors' walking path. The original video was uploaded onto his TikTok account, which had about 33,000 followers at the time. The Wildlife Reserves Singapore had earlier told The Straits Times that it filed a police report on Dec 17 last year. It condemned the youth's actions in an Instagram story posted the following day, calling it a "reckless and mindless act which is socially irresponsible, extremely dangerous and simply disrespectful to wildlife and animals". The zoo operator also urged people not to pull such stunts, as lives could be put in danger. In November 2008, a Malaysian contract worker was mauled to death by white tigers after he climbed into their enclosure at the Singapore Zoo. The 32-year-old man, who worked as a cleaner, jumped into the moat that separated the tigers from visitors and waded towards the animals. He was killed in full view of shocked onlookers. A state coroner ruled the case as suicide in 2009. Wee’s bail was set at $15,000 on Monday and his case has been adjourned to Aug 16. If convicted of criminal trespass, he can be jailed for up to three months and fined up to $1,500. For vandalism, an offender can be either fined up to $2,000 or jailed for up to three years and receive between three and eight strokes of the cane. For each count of mischief, an offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined. More on this topic Related Story 19-year-old who did backflip in S'pore Zoo enclosure to be charged with criminal trespass Related Story Boy seen standing inside rhino enclosure in Dublin Zoo
SINGAPORE - A man was charged in court on Saturday (July 10) with armed robbery at a licensed moneylender in Bukit Batok. Syed Shahrul Nazrin Syed Mohibur Rahman, 30, allegedly committed the offence at about 7.10pm on Thursday at Block 372 Bukit Batok Street 31. He is accused of going to the licensed moneylender and showing a woman working there a handwritten note. Syed allegedly had two notes with him, but it is not clear which was shown to her. The first note read: "Don't panic. Don't shout. This is a robbery. Fill up the bag with money. You have two minutes. Or else!" The second note read: "This is a robbery. Don't shout. Don't panic. Put all the money in the bag and nobody will get hurt." Syed, a Singaporean, also purportedly indicated that he had a knife in his bag. The employee complied with his instructions and handed him $22,000 in cash. Syed is said to have fled the scene, but was arrested in Lorong 8 Geylang about 11 hours later. He had allegedly taken steps to mask his identity by covering his features with a hat and long-sleeved top, and had avoided leaving any trace of evidence at the crime scene. The police seized about $18,500 in cash, the two notes and a bag from him. At a press conference on Friday afternoon, the police said they were alerted to the incident at about 7.15pm on Thursday. They are still working to recover the rest of the loot and the knife that was allegedly used in the robbery. Syed's case will be heard again on July 16. If convicted, he can be sentenced to a maximum punishment of 14 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane. More on this topic Related Story Moneylenders in S'pore on alert in wake of armed robbery cases Related Story Aetos officer charged with robbing Jurong East shop of over $24,000 with a gun
SINGAPORE - A former Singapore Management University (SMU) associate director was on Tuesday (March 23) charged with accepting $472,000 in bribes. Christopher Tan Toh Nghee had allegedly accepted illegal funds from three men to advance their business interests with the university between August 2017 and November 2019. The 43-year-old faces 50 charges for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The three men, who were also charged on Tuesday, are International Alliance Marketing director Kenneth Lum Hsien Loong, CJ Synergy director Cher Kheng Than and Assetualize managing director Jeffery Long Chee Kin. International Alliance Marketing director Kenneth Lum Hsien Loong (left) and CJ Synergy director Cher Kheng Than were also charged on March 23. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG Lum faces 35 charges for offering the bribes, while Long and Cher face eight and seven charges respectively for such offences. Tan and Cher also each face one charge of giving false information to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and one charge of intentionally obstructing the course of justice. According to court documents, Tan had allegedly given false information to CPIB officers that the money given to him by Cher was for the repayment of a loan. Tan also allegedly deleted an electronic note from his mobile phone that contained records of the payments he had received and expected to receive from Lum, Cher and Long. Cher had allegedly deleted WhatsApp chat logs with Tan and an electronic note from his phone that contained records of payments he gave to Tan. All four will return to court on April 20. The Straits Times has contacted SMU for comments on the case. For each count of corruption, offenders can be jailed for up to five years or fined up to $100,000, or both. For giving false information relating to corruption offences, a person may be jailed for up to a year or fined up to $10,000, or both. A person convicted of intentionally obstructing the course of justice can be jailed for up to seven years or fined, or both. More on this topic Related Story 3 former Shell employees linked to $200m gas oil heist charged with graft Related Story 16 months' jail for woman involved in business deal that paid out nearly $500k in bribes
SINGAPORE - A 48-year-old man was scheduled to be charged in court on Saturday (March 13) with being a public nuisance and refusing to wear a mask in a bar at Sentosa. On Thursday, the police were alerted to an incident where the man allegedly refused to put on a mask despite being asked to do so by staff of a bar in Siloso Beach Walk. Preliminary police investigations showed he had also allegedly pointed his middle finger at a safe distancing ambassador (SDA) after being asked to put on his mask. The man is scheduled to be charged with causing a public nuisance, and if convicted, can be jailed for up to three months and/or fined up to $2,000. He can also be charged with intentionally causing alarm for his abusive behaviour towards the SDA. For this, he can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to six months. The man can also be charged with refusing to wear a mask - an offence under the current Covid-19 regulations. If convicted, he can be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to six months. Police investigations into his second and third charges are ongoing. On Saturday morning, the police said they take a stern view of abuse directed at SDAs and that offenders will be dealt with. It said: "Members of the public should cooperate and comply with the instructions from safe distancing ambassadors,who are performing an important duty to keep us and our community safe." More on this topic Related Story Man arrested over violent encounter with safe distancing ambassadors Related Story Shut doors, verbal abuse among challenges faced by safe distancing ambassadors