By On Friday (24 July), former deputy group director of the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Henry Foo Yung Thye was charged for taking about S$1.24 million in bribes and cheating his colleagues.
Mr Foo was slapped with a total of 36 charges, 22 of which relate to bribery in the form of loans from contractors and subcontractors between 2014 and 2019. Another 13 charges relate to cheating his LTA colleagues into giving him loans between 2018 and 2019, totalling S$726,500. He is also charged with corruptly obtaining gratification in the forms of a S$30,000 loan from an LTA subcontractor in return for furthering the latter’s business interest with LTA.
In a press release, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said Mr Foo had “dishonestly” concealed the fact that the loans were to feed his debts and gambling habits.
Additionally, six other people and one company were also charged in relation to Mr Foo’s alleged offences. These are two people from Tion Seng Contractors, Pay Teow Heng, 52 and Pek Lian Guan, 55. They were charged with corruption for conspiring to brige Mr Foo with loans amounting to S$350,000.
Also charged for bribery were two South Korean workers who were employed by Daewoo Engineering and Construction. Project director Kim Young-Gyu, 51 and project manager Ro Sungyoung, 48 face two charges of corruption each for allegedly bribing Mr Foo with S$50,000 in loans.
Former Director of Tritech Engineering and Testing (Singapore), Cai Jungang, was also charged for giving Mr Foo a loan of about S$285,000 as a bribe. The 57-year old Chinese national is facing seven charges of corruption.
Next, former director of MEPT Engineering, 52-year old Zhang Xihu, also faces seven charges of corruption for giving Mr Foo S$325,000 in bribes in the form of loans.
As for the company charged, China Railway Tunnel Group (Singapore Branch) is charged with three counts of corruption for allegedly bribing Mr Foo with loans amounting to S$220,000. On top of that, a 53-year old man is charged with forgery in relation to the payments from China Railway Tunnel Group.
Finally, the former director of Tong Sheng Construction and Trading faces two charges of forgery as he is accused of aiding the falsification of invoices from Tong Sheng, which is a subcontractor of the China Railway Tunnel Group.
Those convicted of corruption can be jailed for up to five years, fined S$100,000 or both. However, the prison term for each offence can be increased to seven years in cases relating to contract with the government or a public body, or a subcontract to execute work comprised in such a contract.
Those found guilty of cheating or falsification of accounts can face a imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine or both.