On September 26, one other ex Vice president of a ship building company “ST Marine” was implicated in one of the largest corporate graft scandals and was sentenced to 20 weeks’ jail and a $100,000 fine.
Mok Kim Whang, 65, who was the company’s senior vice-president from June 2000 to July 2004, is the third of seven former ST Marine senior executives charged in the case to be sentenced. He is the second to be given a jail term.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to 50 out of 827 charges: one of graft and 49 of falsification of accounts.
The remaining 777 charges – all for falsification of accounts – were taken into account in sentencing.
Deputy Presiding Judge of the State Courts Jennifer Marie noted that Mok did not pocket any money, but had continued a pre-existing practice at ST Marine to pay bribes to its customers’ employees, and to cover up the kickbacks with a false paper trail.
Among other things, she also noted that Mok had pleaded guilty, was remorseful, and that “for an older person… the shame of going to prison is indeed a grave punishment”.
Mok started work as an apprentice with the British navy in Singapore in 1967, eventually moving on to Keppel Shipyard and Pan-United Shipyard, the court heard.
He joined ST Marine in June 2000 and oversaw the company’s Tuas Yard commercial projects, turning it profitable in just one year.
He starts his sentence tomorrow.
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Source: AsiaOne News
