Former SLA employees plead guilty in S$12.2m fraud case
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SINGAPORE: Two former Singapore Land Authority (SLA) employees, who pilfered S$12.2 million from the statutory board over a span of less than two years, have pleaded guilty to cheating and money laundering charges.
41-year-old Koh Seah Wee, a former SLA deputy director of its technology and infrastructure department, pleaded guilty to a total of 46 cheating charges involving two statutory boards and nine counts of money laundering.
Koh's then-subordinate and accomplice, 38-year-old Christopher Lim Chai Meng, also pleaded guilty to 41 cheating charges and eight counts of money laundering.
Their modus operandi was to put up fictitious contracts with IT vendors who eventually did not provide the goods and services to SLA as stated in the contracts. A total of 11 vendors were involved in the scam.
Meanwhile, the SLA has sued the duo, along with 16 other individuals and firms, to recover the S$12.2 million. The case has been adjourned to November 4.
-CNA/acAbout this case
http://sgforums.com/forums/3317/topics/411948 -
wowz...its equivalent to Coco Lee's marriage expenses of 12.8 mil
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Originally posted by Fcukpap:
wowz...its equivalent to Coco Lee's marriage expenses of 12.8 mil
So you are trying to say the wedding is expensive or not expensive?
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coco lee marriage expenses are now the new record holder in asia
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Originally posted by Fcukpap:
coco lee marriage expenses are now the new record holder in asia
Money can buy you happiness.
At least temporarily.
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agree with both hands and legs up...
this is the price of capitalism...there are still some, but rare, caring capitalists around....
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One of the accused drove.....
Ferrari crashed along Nicoll Highway.....
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The main accused.....
no wonder he is smiling all the time......
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Former SLA employees jailed for cheating, money laundering
SINGAPORE: Two former Singapore Land Authority (SLA) employees were sentenced to imprisonment on Friday.
41-year-old James Koh Seah Wee was sentenced to a total of 22 years jail for both cheating and money laundering.
His accomplice, 38-year-old Christopher Lim Chai Meng, was sentenced to 15 years jail, also for cheating and money laundering.
The former SLA employees had pleaded guilty to pilfering S$12.5 million from government coffers.
Koh and Lim rendered bogus invoices through various IT firms for fake maintenance services and goods that were never needed or delivered.
The fraud was uncovered in June when investigations showed a number of irregular payments worth some S$12 million within SLA's Technology and Infrastructure Department. The payments took place place between January 2008 and March 2010.
Justice Tay Yong Kwang told the court that offences involving public funds committed against public institutions have to be dealt with sternly as they undermine good administration.
He said financial crimes like these often have repercussions beyond the immediate facts of the case. He added that new and more stringent checks may also have to be introduced to try to prevent a repeat of such cheating. This, he said, would result in unnecessary increased costs in time, manpower and even infrastructure.
Justice Tay said a clear distinction had to be drawn between those who break the law for the first time, and those who had been flouting it for years and were charged for the first time. He added Koh and Lim were not novices in crime and were skilled at avoiding detection.
While the judge singled out Koh as naturally bearing more blame, being the more senior officer and having cheated three public bodies while working within them, he did not diminish Lim's role, who cheated only one public body, saying the duo relied on each other for the deception.
Lawyer Subhas Anandan, who represented Lim Chai Meng, said: "I think the sentence is fair and our client has told us he is not appealing, I think he's accepted the sentence."
Justice Tay said he did not agree with the prosecution's description of Koh and Lim as "highly sophisticated criminals", saying they did not try to camouflage their huge cash reserves.
He called both Koh and Lim's purchase of super fast cars, like the Lamborghini and Ferrari, "egoistic acts". He said they were carelessly inviting questions about their new-found wealth and were hardly "sophisticated money launderers".
Both Lim and Koh assisted in police investigations, and some S$9 million in money and assets have been recovered so far.
- CNA/cc/ac