SINGAPORE — Keppel Offshore & Marine (KOM), a subsidiary of Keppel Corporation which is significantly owned by Temasek Holdings, was found to be involved in a massive corruption scandal which spanned more than a decade under Operation Car Wash in Brazil.
KOM has reportedly paid US$55 million in bribes between 2001 to 2014, to secure contracts with Brazillian state-owned oil giant Petrobras.
In December 2017, Keppel agreed to pay fines amounting to US$422.2 million as part of a global resolution with the authorities in the United States (US), Brazil and Singapore.
CPIB was reported to have arrested six former KOM’s executives in Feb 2018 following the investigation by US Department of Justice (DoJ). The six were subsequently let off on bail, and the matter was then referred to the AGC to decide if charges were to be filed.
However, after close to five years of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) investigations, the six former senior executives of KOM were only given stern warnings last Thursday, after consultation with the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC).
CPIB has since been questioned by Singaporeans on why only stern warnings were given to the six individuals involved.
Mr Lee Hsien Yang, former Singtel CEO and former Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), remarked that the KOM corruption case in Brazil has dealt a blow to Singapore’s reputation, and the decision not to prosecute will “cause more damage”.
Ex-employee of halfway house sentenced to 16 weeks’ jail for bribery
While these former KOM’s senior executives were only given stern warnings by CPIB, it is not the case for how ordinary Singaporeans are dealt with if they are involved in cases involving elements of corruption.
Mr Damanhuri bin Abas, who contested in the General Election 2020 under the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), shared that an ex-employee of Jamiyah Halfway House was sentenced to 16 weeks jail, for asking for money less than S$2000 from two residents.
According to Berita Harian, the 53-year-old employee Ismadi Ishak was entrusted with the safety and discipline of residents at Jamiyah Halfway House and was empowered to mete out penalties if they breached its regulations.
The report said Ismadi was facing financial difficulties when he asked the two residents for cash from April 2020 to March 2021. The two men complied because they were afraid of what Ismadi might do to them if they did not give the money.
In his Facebook post published on Saturday (14 Jan), Mr Damanhuri said he knew Ismadi in September last year after he approached Mr Faisal Manap, Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament (MP) at the Meet the People Session(MPS) in Kaki Bukit.
“He shared about his case, his views and opinion about it and wanted help for it. We heard him out and were made aware about some details and information about the case and how he came to be in this situation. ”
Mr Damanhuri learned that Ismadi was a former resident of Darul Islah who changed his ways and became an officer there.
For the last nine years, Ismadi dedicated his service to the reform institution helping other residents deal with their drug problems.
“Sadly, for the fault he did as reported of less than 2K (borrowing money) he now will be in jail for 16 weeks.”
“This came only a few days after we learned of the so-called stern warning given to several senior executives of Keppel for the high-profile corruption case involving millions of dollars that CPIB after years of investigation seems only willing to dish to them, ” Mr Damanhuri added.
For Ismadi, who is less known but gets such high-profile publicity for such a case, Mr Damanhuri admitted that he cannot but feel how unjust the system while those corrupt but of a “certain public standing” or from such high-profile institution gets leniency.
“Be patient my bro, God is with those who face injustice. Friends are looking out for you. InshaAllah.”
CPIB once said “One dollar bribe still an offence”
Singapore is recognised around the world for its zero-tolerance stance on bribery and corruption.
One such example that the public can think of is where two forklift drivers were jailed for months after receiving bribes of $1.
They were each charged in December 2018 for embarking on a course of conduct to obtain small-value bribes from truck drivers at Cogent.
In its press statement, CPIB emphasised that employees are expected to carry out their duties fairly instead of obtaining bribes in exchange for favours. Even if the bribe amount is as low as $1, they can be taken to task.
“Bribes of any amount or any kind will not be tolerated, ” CPIB’s statement said.
