Jail for former Sats employee linked to corrupt arrangements involving over $18k

Straits Times

7 hours ago

Leong Poh Keong was sentenced to one year, three months and three weeks' jail. PHOTO: ST FILE
Jail for former Sats employee linked to corrupt arrangements involving over $18k
SINGAPORE – A training, quality and projects executive at Sats Maintenance Centre was involved in corrupt arrangements worth more than $18,000 with multiple representatives of the company's vendors.
Leong Poh Keong, who is no longer employed by Sats – a ground handler and in-flight caterer at Changi Airport – had disclosed confidential tender-related information to the representatives.
This allowed Dominic Quek Chun Hua, Lim Ban Hock and Virgil Joy Angelus to access the pricing information of competitors, severely compromising the tender process.
On June 26, Leong was sentenced to one year, three months and three weeks' jail.
The 39-year-old Singaporean had pleaded guilty to two counts of graft involving more than $14,000, as well as one count each of cheating and obstructing the course of justice.
Eight other charges, including graft-related ones linked to the remaining amount, were considered during his sentencing.
The three vendor representatives were earlier dealt with in court.
Although the case involved 'tainted contracts', Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong said there is no evidence that Sats suffered actual losses.
Sats Maintenance Centre supported the company's ground support equipment section, which managed specialised vehicles on the airport tarmac.
At the time of the offences, Leong's responsibilities included drafting bidding documents based on Sats' desired specifications for potential suppliers.
He also acted as a liaison between potential bidders and the tender evaluation committee, which included members of the maintenance centre's management.
Quek was then an operations manager at Tom's Tyre (TT), which had supplied tyres and rims to customers, including Sats.
In January 2015, TT entered into a contract with Sats for the supply, delivery and fixing of new and existing tyres.
In late 2019, Sats told TT, the incumbent supplier, and other firms that it was launching an open tender exercise for tyre-related services.
The tender was for a contract period from Jan 1, 2020, to Dec 31, 2022, with an option for Sats to extend the contract by a further two years.
Around mid-2020, Leong was engaged as the writer for the open tender, the court heard.
In or around April that year, Leong approached Quek for a loan, citing 'health problems' of his child, who was living in Vietnam.
Between April 2020 and January 2021, Quek handed Leong a total of $9,500 over three occasions.
During this period, Leong told Quek that another tyre supplier had submitted a tender price that was about 20 per cent lower than TT's.
Leong also said he was prepared to recommend TT for the award of the open tender, if the firm was willing to reduce its tender price by 20 per cent.
However, investigations did not reveal if TT reduced its tender price.
DPP Wong said that the open tender exercise was eventually closed in April 2021 after Sats discovered Leong's misconduct. The tender was not awarded to TT or any other prospective bidders.
Meanwhile, Lim was a director at Env-Pro Tech Engineering and TK Engineering at the time of the offences. Env-Pro was involved in fabrication activities, while TK Engineering manufactured vehicle parts.
On one occasion between 2019 and 2020, Leong asked Lim for a loan as his son had 'kidney failure and required dialysis treatment'.
Leong later received a bribe of more than $4,000.
In October 2020, Leong told Lim that Sats Maintenance Centre had an open tender exercise for repair services.
He shared with Lim confidential information, including the price lists of the then incumbent contractor.
TK Engineering clinched the job and signed a contract with Sats in January 2021.
As for Virgil, he was involved in an unrelated case. At the time of the offences, he held directorships in businesses, including project management firm Elizabeth-Zion Aviation and Ports, and technological services company Elizabeth-Zion Technology.
Between 2016 and 2017, Sats awarded Elizabeth-Zion Technology a project to build a driving simulator for employees.
Between 2017 and 2018, Elizabeth-Zion Aviation and Ports was awarded a Sats contract to provide manpower for refuelling operations.
Some time between 2019 and 2020, Leong approached Virgil for a corrupt loan of $1,000 , which the latter gave him.
On or around Feb 19, 2021, Leong found out from a colleague that Sats wanted to terminate his employment contract, and that investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau into his case would follow soon after.
Leong then contacted Quek, Lim and Virgil and advised them to delete any incriminating text messages they had exchanged with him.
On June 26, Leong's bail was set at $30,000. He is expected to begin serving his sentence on July 10.
Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.
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