Seven Face Charges in Keppel Fels Probe

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  • Seven people have been charged in a corruption probe linked to Singaporean shipbuilder Keppel Fels, and could face up to five years in jail if found guilty.
  • The investigation centres around bribes made over a three-year period through to 2017 to ensure business for a host of subcontractors at the yard.

Seven people linked to Singapore shipbuilding firm Keppel Fels were charged over multiple corruption-related offences, reports the Straits Times.

The alleged offences took place sometime between 2014 and 2017, according to Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

Multiple counts of corruption

Three Singaporeans – Alvin Lim Wee Lun, Rajavikraman s/o Jayapandian, and Goh Ngak Eng – each face 46 counts of corruptly obtaining gratification from others as an inducement to further the business interests of subcontracting companies with KFELS.

Lim was a former yard manager of KFELS. Lim was said to have obtain gratification from U Keh Choon, Director of Titan Offshore Equipment, Stanley Goh Sheng Li, Director of Spectrama Marine & Industrial Supplies, and Fatkullah Bin Tiap, Managing Director of Growa F.E., who were all subcontractors of KFELS at that time.

A total gratification amount of approximately SGD879,000 ($647,600) was obtained from the three contractors by Goh Ngak Eng for himself, Lim and Rajavikraman, CPIB stated.

Individual charges

Separately, Rajavikraman faces three counts of corruptly obtaining gratification amounting to SGD7,000 from Goh Ngak Eng as a reward for furthering the business interest of a marine equipment manufacturer with another company in the same line of business.

Goh Ngak Eng also faces an additional 13 counts of corruptly giving gratification amounting to SGD22,100 as rewards considered illegitimate.

U Keh Choon faces seven counts of corruptly giving gratification amounting to around SGD196,000, Stanley Goh faces 21 counts of corruptly giving gratification amounting to SGD190,900, and Fatkullah faces 18 counts of corruptly giving gratification amounting to SGD492,300.

A seventh individual, Ong Tun Chai, faces 10 counts of corruptly accepting bribes of around SGD15,000 from Goh Ngak Eng and 20 counts of falsifying documents.

Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption. Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to SGD100,000 or sentenced to imprisonment of up to five years or to both,” CPIB stated.

Case in the past

Back in December 2017, Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) accepted a conditional warning from the CPIB over bribery and corruption cases spanning across Brazil, Singapore and the US.

Keppel O&M agreed to pay over $422m in fines across the three countries to resolve charges related to a decade-long scheme under which millions of dollars in bribes were paid by its former Brazilian agent Zwi Skornicki.

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Source: The Straits Times