3 weeks' jail for man who tricked Tampines Town Council into paying extra $233,000 for water pumps
3 weeks' jail for man who tricked Tampines Town Council into paying extra $233,000 for water pumps
Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 14 May 2025
Author: Shaffiq Alkhatib
Zhang Shuyan was the managing director of electrical and mechanical maintenance and installation firm FYH Integrated at the time of the offence.
A man who billed Tampines Town Council for more expensive products instead of the actual items he provided, tricking it into paying an extra $233,000 for water pumps, was sentenced to three weeks' jail on May 13.
Zhang Shuyan, 59, who was managing director of electrical and mechanical maintenance and installation firm FYH Integrated at the time of the offence, pleaded guilty in April to one count of falsifying accounts to the town council.
Before handing down the sentence on May 13, District Judge Kenneth Chin noted that the Singaporean had made full restitution and paid the bulk of it before he was charged.
However, the judge stressed that Zhang's case involved public funds and that he committed the offence over a sustained period of a year.
Deputy public prosecutors David Koh and Yeow Xuan stated in court documents that the offender and his wife incorporated the firm in 2009 with $500,000.
It later entered into a three-year contract with Tampines Town Council in February 2016 for jobs related to pumps and refuse chute flushing systems.
FYH was responsible for the maintenance, servicing and repair of pumps in the Housing Board blocks within the town council's purview. It was also contracted to replace defective pumps in the HDB blocks.
The contract included a schedule of rates, with a list of items and their corresponding prices, that FYH would bill the town council for.
Between April 2016 and July 2017, Zhang's firm replaced 267 single-stage water pumps in the Tampines estate. But Zhang billed the products as multi-stage water pumps that cost more than $1,400 each, compared with a single-stage pump that cost around $550.
The town council received 203 invoices for the replacement of the pumps and paid more than $380,000 to FYH.
Zhang's scheme came to light in 2017, after the town council's managing agent realised FYH had been charging it for multi-stage pumps even though only single-stage pumps were used.
After he was found out, Zhang agreed to refund the extra amount that the town council had paid out to his company, which was more than $233,000.
He was later charged in 2024.
Offenders found guilty of falsifying accounts can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
Print
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
Plane about to take off recalled for cops to arrest passenger who posted: 'No one knows I'm going to blow the plane up'
Plane about to take off recalled for cops to arrest passenger who posted: 'No one knows I'm going to blow the plane up' A 22-year-old man was charged on June 5 with communicating false information of harmful thing while onboard an aircraft on Valentine's Day. The police said they were alerted to a social media post containing a threat to blow up an aircraft on Feb 14 at about 7.20pm. Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Airport Police Division established the identity of the man, Azim Shah Abubakar Shah, within an hour of the post and confirmed that he was onboard a flight bound for Abu Dhabi. The aircraft was already taxiing on the runway and about to take off, but was recalled to Changi Airport Terminal 2, where the man was subsequently arrested. Investigations revealed that he allegedly posted "No one here knows I'm going to blow the plane up" on his social media account after he had boarded the aircraft. According to court documents, the Singaporean was on board the Etihad Airways plane when he allegedly posted the threat on his Instagram account under the username "fruitloops_19", reported The Straits Times. The post was viewed by 16 people. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES Azim was found to have no means to carry out his threat as no threat items were discovered in his possession, said the police. The offence of communicating false information of harmful thing carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years, a fine of up to $50,000 or both. Commander of Airport Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police M. Malathi said: "Beyond fear and inconvenience caused, the making of false threats, especially relating to airport and airline operations, involves significant public resources that have to be deployed to deal with the incident. "All security threats will be thoroughly investigated and those responsible will be tracked down and prosecuted." Click here to contribute a story or submit it to our WhatsApp Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on:
New Paper
13 hours ago
- New Paper
Man charged over bomb threat made on plane leaving Singapore
A man who allegedly made a bomb hoax while on a plane that was departing Singapore for Abu Dhabi was charged on June 5. Azim Shah Abubakar Shah, 22, was handed one charge of communicating false information of harmful thing. According to court documents, the Singaporean was on board an Etihad Airways plane on Feb 14 when he allegedly posted the threat on his Instagram account under the username "fruitloops_19". He was said to have written "no one knows that I'm gonna blow the plane up" in the post, which was viewed by 16 people. The police said they were alerted to the bomb hoax at 7.20pm. Officers from the Airport Police Division identified Azim within an hour of the post and confirmed that he was on board a flight bound for Abu Dhabi. The plane, which was already taxiing on the runway and about to take off, was recalled to Changi Airport Terminal 2, and Azim was arrested. It was discovered that he did not have any means to carry out his threat, as no threat items were discovered in his possession, the police said. If convicted, he may be jailed for up to seven years, fined up to $50,000, or both.
AsiaOne
13 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Singaporean businessman arrested at Bangkok airport for alleged $200k tax evasion
A Singaporean businessman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on suspicion of tax evasion amounting to over 5 million baht (S$197,550), said Thai police in a Facebook post on Wednesday (June 4). David Liu, 71, was arrested after a complaint by Thailand's Revenue Department against media analytics company Isentia Monitoring Services, where he had worked as a director from July 1 to Oct 30, 2015, reported The Straits Times. According to the Facebook post by Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau, the company was found to have reported zero sales, purchase, and net tax obligations, despite generating business revenue — indicating incorrect tax filings. Further investigation into the value-added tax filings of the company revealed that the total damages to the state were close to 5.24 million baht, the police added. An investigation officer from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) had issued a summons for the company's directors to acknowledge the charges, but they received no response, which led to suspicions of evasion. An arrest warrant for Liu was subsequently issued by the Phra Khanong Criminal Court, reported The Thaiger. According to the Bangkok Post, Liu was detained on June 3 at the immigration checkpoint of Suvarnabhumi Airport as he prepared to return to Singapore. Liu denied the charges during questioning but admitted to previously holding an authorised director position at Isentia. Liu faces a fine of up to 200,000 baht and a seven-year prison term if found guilty of charges relating to tax evasion. [[nid:718606]]
