3 Years and 9 Months' Imprisonment for Cheating Employer

On 4 December 2018, one Ng Shu Jun (“Ng”) was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months’ imprisonment for cheating offences. Ng, a 30-year-old Singaporean female, was the Assistant Manager of UE ServiceCorp Singapore at the time of offence. UE ServiceCorp is a subsidiary of United Engineers Limited (“UEL”). Ng’s employment was terminated by UEL in June 2015.

2. Based on investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (“CPIB”), it was revealed that Ng was involved in a cheating scheme devised by one Linda Lee (“Lee”), a former Vice-President (Asset Management) of United Engineers Developments Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of UEL and one Tan Aik Gee, who was employed by Ying Xin Services. Beginning in 2009, Lee and Tan Aik Gee siphoned monies from UEL using Lee’s position in the company to request for fictitious job requests in UEL’s system, and then certified and awarded these fictitious works to several companies. These jobs were never carried out. When payment was made to these companies, the monies would then be split between Lee and Tan Aik Gee.

3. Sometime in 2011, one Wong Weng Kong (“Wong”), a freelance contractor, was roped into the scheme to provide letterheads from TW Construction Engineering to create fictitious quotations. In 2013 and 2014, Wong set-up another 5 companies under the name of his wife and his daughter. The letterheads of these companies were also given to Lee to create the fictitious quotations and to get monies out from UEL through fictitious job requests. In 2013 and 2015 respectively, Lee approached two of her staff, Ng and one Tan Kiam Boon to help out in the scheme. They were given various letterheads and tasked to create fictitious quotations in exchange for or were promised benefits from Lee. In total, UEL was deceived into paying more than $10,000,000 for works that were never carried out.

4. For her role, Ng was charged with 16 counts of conspiring with Lee, Tan Aik Gee and Wong to cheat UEL by providing fictitious quotations to dishonestly induce UEL to pay approximately $4,619,000 for works that were never carried out. This is an offence punishable under Section 420 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. Ng faces another charge of attempting to conspire with Lee to dishonestly induce UEL to pay approximately $19,000 for works which were not done, an offence under Section 420 read with Section 116 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224.

5. Lee, who had obtained approximately $4,977,000 from this illicit cheating scheme has been sentenced to 12.5 years’ imprisonment for cheating and money laundering offences on 2 October 2018. In the course of investigation, CPIB had seized several bank accounts, insurance policies, properties and over 500 luxury items and branded apparels belonging to Lee. Of these, about $2,470,000 have been recovered and released to UEL.

6. On 12 November 2018, Tan Aik Gee was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $900,000, while Wong was sentenced to 6 years’ and 3 months’ imprisonment and a fine of $210,000. The CPIB has also seized about $208,000 from Tan Aik Gee, which has been released to UEL. Tan Kiam Boon has been sentenced to 3 months’ imprisonment for his role in this cheating scheme on 11 September 2018.

7. The CPIB takes a serious view against corruption and any criminal activities. Any persons involved in such offences will be firmly dealt with the full brunt of the law.

Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau