Ex-FairPrice Employees Allegedly Receive Bribes From Fish Suppliers Over 7 Years
While the justice system in Singapore is known to be strict on corruption cases, it doesn’t mean that they never occur here. Most recently, reports have surfaced of two former FairPrice employees who received over S$500,000 in bribes over seven years.
Multiple individuals in the fish supply industry had allegedly provided the pair with bribes from 2013 to 2020.
Source: oneloosebutton on Flickr, for illustration purposes only
In total, both guilty parties face 65 charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Three other individuals also face charges for corruptly giving bribes.
Bribes were to further business interests of fish suppliers
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the pair of ex-FairPrice employees were charged in court on Friday (6 May) for allegedly receiving bribes from fish suppliers over a period of seven years.
47-year-old Lim Kian Kok and 69-year-old See Hock Lam were working as team leaders at FairPrice at the time of their offences.
From 2013 to 2020, they reportedly obtained roughly S$532,000 in bribes from different people.
Citing a Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) press release, The Straits Times (ST) stated that Lim took the bribes “to further the business interests of various fish suppliers with NTUC FairPrice.”
Three individuals face charges for giving bribes to FairPrice staff
Additionally, three people from the fish supply industry face charges for corruptly giving bribes.
TODAY identified them as:
- 47-year-old Chew Kim Hwee, director of Fish Vision Agro-tech
- 57-year-old Ng Keng Meng, partner at Nam Soon Sin Kee & Co
- 65-year-old Heah Han Huat, sole proprietor of Ocean Trust Trading
The above were their roles at the time of their offences. It’s unclear if they’re still holding the positions now.
Their charges are apparently in connection with the ex-FairPrice employees’ offences.
All three paid differing sums of bribes, ranging from S$26,900 to S$217,500 over the seven years.
Singapore takes corruption cases seriously
Judging from previous cases of corruption in Singapore, it’s clear from the punishments that the authorities take such incidents seriously.
Kudos thus go to them for clamping down on these cases.
Let’s hope that individuals will avoid resorting to underhanded means to further any sort of interest in the future.
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Featured image adapted from eyesthruthelens on Flickr.
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