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SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board assistant director in the controversial Brompton bikes case will go on trial from next month to fight allegations of providing false information.
The hearing will be held over 10 days in March and April.
42-year-old Bernard Lim Yong Soon faces two counts of giving false information to officers from the Ministry of National Development (MND), who were conducting an internal audit into NParks' purchase of 26 Brompton bicycles.
Lim, who was overseeing the purchase, had allegedly denied being a friend of the director of Bikehop Singapore, the supplier of the bikes.
He is also accused of getting the director, Lawrence Lim, to give the same false information to the auditors.
The alleged offences took place between June and July in 2012.
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan had ordered the audit in 2012 after it was reported in a Chinese daily that NParks had purchased Brompton bicycles costing S$2,200 each for its officers.
Bikehop Singapore had won the tender to supply bicycles to NParks.
The report prompted questions over whether the agency got value for money in buying those bikes. - CNA/xq
Lawyer argues he didn't break law even if actions were 'reprehensible'
Published on Apr 02, 2014
Bernard Lim is accused of lying to auditors over the $57,200 purchase of 26 Brompton bicycles. -- ST FILE PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
By Ian Poh
The National Parks Board (NParks) assistant director accused of lying to auditors over the $57,200 purchase of 26 Brompton bicycles did not break the law even if his actions might have been "morally reprehensible", a court heard yesterday.
Bernard Lim Yong Soon, 42, allegedly lied to the National Development Ministry (MND) on July 18, 2012 that he did not know the director of a bicycle supplier before it bid for the contract. Lim is also accused of instigating Bikehop director, Mr Lawrence Lim Chun How, to perpetuate the lie.
But these charges, argued defence lawyer Lawrence Ang, were founded on an "over-simplistic view" of the law.
Urging the court to acquit his client without calling for his defence, Mr Ang referred to the testimony given by nine witnesses during the trial, which began on March 11.
Updated: 04/03/2014 17:56 | By Channel NewsAsia
NParks director in Brompton bikes case to take stand when trial resumes
SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) assistant director implicated in the controversial Brompton bikes case will take the stand in his own defence when the trial resumes on April 14.
The defence had indicated that 42-year-old Bernard Lim Yong Soon will be testifying in court.
Bernard Lim is fighting two counts of providing false information to officers from the Ministry of National Development (MND), who were conducting an internal audit into NParks' purchase of 26 Brompton bikes between June and July 2012.
Bernard Lim, who was overseeing the purchase, had allegedly denied being a friend of Mr Lawrence Lim Chun How, the director of Bikehop Singapore, which had won the tender to supply the bikes.
He also allegedly abetted Mr Lawrence Lim to provide the same false information to the auditors.
On Thursday, District Judge Marvin Bay ruled that Bernard Lim had a case to answer to, following the prosecution's rebuttals.
Prosecutor Andre Jumabhoy argued that the elements of the two charges were fulfilled.
Pointing to evidence heard in court, Mr Jumabhoy said the accused knew he was lying to the auditors and had admitted to this in his statements taken by the authorities.
The evidence of the MND auditors also showed that Bernard Lim had lied.
But Mr Jumabhoy stressed that it was the accused's reason for lying that was important.
"As the defence pointed out in the course of their submissions, the mere fact that a person lies, or that he lies to a public servant, is, in and of itself, not an offence. The prosecution does not suggest otherwise. It is the accused's reason for the lie that is important," said Mr Jumabhoy.
He added that the prosecution's case is that Bernard Lim had lied in an attempt to cover up his relationship with Mr Lawrence Lim "to avoid any suggestion of impropriety in the procurement process".
"Such impropriety may have become the subject of a criminal investigation, which it did, and disciplinary proceedings, and the accused was desperate to avoid both."
The prosecutor pointed out that the defence had not challenged Mr Lawrence Lim's evidence that the accused told him over the phone to "try not to tell anybody" that they knew each other.
The prosecution's case is that there is no requirement for the accused to batter Mr Lawrence Lim into submission.
Mr Jumabhoy said: "Plainly asking a person to lie when he had not thought to do so, and wants to do otherwise, can amount to either or all "active suggestion", "support", "stimulation" or "encouragement"."
As for the defence's argument that the charges have been framed ambiguously, the prosecution countered that the ambiguities were created by the defence and "simply do not exist".
On Tuesday, defence lawyer Lawrence Ang's key argument was that what Bernard Lim told the MND auditors did not amount to "information" as described under Section 182.
Mr Ang said the information that initiated the MND interview of the accused and Mr Lawrence Lim, was taken from online sources such as The Real Singapore blog and fuckwarezone forum, so it was "stale".
Another point raised by Mr Ang - that there is no evidence that the three auditors had the "lawful duty" and power to investigate the personal relationship between the accused and Mr Lawrence Lim.
The maximum punishment for providing false information or abetting someone to provide false information is a jail term of one year and a $5,000 fine. - CNA/de
Verdict of Brompton bikes case to be delivered on May 29
SINGAPORE: The verdict of the controversial Brompton bikes case is expected to be delivered on May 29. This was made known in court on Tuesday during the hearing of the case involving a former National Parks Board assistant director, who has chosen not to give evidence on the stand.
The change of position comes after the defence previously indicated that 42-year-old Bernard Lim Yong Soon will be testifying in court.
Bernard Lim is fighting two counts of providing false information to officers from the Ministry of National Development (MND), who were conducting an internal audit into NParks' purchase of 26 Brompton bikes between June and July 2012.
Bernard Lim, who was overseeing the purchase, had allegedly denied being a friend of Mr Lawrence Lim Chun How, the director of BikeHop Singapore, which had won the tender to supply the bikes. He also allegedly abetted Mr Lawrence Lim to provide the same false information to the auditors.
In court on Tuesday, District Judge Marvin Bay said since the defence was not calling any witness to the stand, the defence's case is closed.
Parties have agreed to a four-week adjournment to prepare their submissions.
The written submissions will be exchanged on May 15 and replies to those arguments are expected to be tendered to the court on May 22, before Judge Bay delivers the verdict, expected on May 29.
The maximum punishment for providing false information or abetting someone to provide false information is a jail term of one year and a S$5,000 fine. - CNA/ac
Brompton bikes case: NParks assistant director found guilty
SINGAPORE: Former National Parks Board assistant director Bernard Lim Yong Soon was on Thursday (May 29) found guilty of one charge of giving false information to public servants from the Ministry of National Development (MND).
The MND officers were conducting an internal audit into NParks' purchase of 26 Brompton bicycles between June and July 2012.
The 42-year-old Lim, who was overseeing the purchase, had denied being a friend of Mr Lawrence Lim Chun How, the director of BikeHop Singapore, which had won the tender to supply the foldable bicycles at S$2,200 each.
He told the MND officers that they had met in March 2012 for the first time after the award of the tender, to discuss the delay by BikeHop in the delivery of a batch of bicycles.
But during the trial, the court heard that the two men already knew each other prior to the meeting.
Bernard Lim was acquitted of the other charge he faced – of instigating Lawrence Lim to give false information to public servants.
He is expected to be sentenced on June 10.
The maximum punishment for providing false information or abetting someone to provide false information is a jail term of one year and a S$5,000 fine. - CNA/es
The National Parks Board (NParks) officer who tipped off a bicycle-firm director about an upcoming tender was yesterday convicted of lying to auditors about their relationship.
Assistant director Bernard Lim Yong Soon was, however, acquitted of instigating Bikehop's Lawrence Lim Chun How to perpetuate the lie that they had met only after the tender was awarded.
Following a nine-day trial, a district court found it was more likely that the latter had acted out of a personal anxiety to keep their stories consistent when quizzed by the Ministry of National Development (MND).
Bernard Lim, 42, now faces up to a year in jail and $5,000 in fines for telling the MND they had first met on March 16, 2012 when they had actually met in late 2011.
Bernard Lim later told Mr Lawrence Lim about the January 2012 tender for folding bicycles, for which Bikehop went on to make the only bid.
The court held that Bernard Lim had effectively tried to give the MND the wrong impression of what was actually a "highly supportive and nurturing friendship" between the two at an interview on July 18, 2012, in fear of his conflict of interest being exposed and possible disciplinary proceedings.
But after lying to auditors initially, Mr Lawrence Lim eventually came clean. He had also earlier requested a meeting at a hawker centre where he urged Bernard Lim to tell the truth to his bosses.
However, District Judge Marvin Bay said that if Bernard Lim had specifically wanted his friend to lie, he would have done more.
"Indeed, it is possible that he may have thought that Mr Lawrence Lim might lie in any case, but that expectation would be likely more from Mr Lawrence Lim's own anxiety to maintain coherence in their two accounts," the judge said.
Bernard Lim remains suspended from his job as his case is still before the court, NParks said in a statement yesterday. He is expected to be sentenced on June 10.
Brompton bikes case: NParks officer fined maximum $5,000 for lying to auditors
Published on Jun 10, 2014 5:56 PM
National Parks Board (NParks) officer Bernard Lim Yong Soon, convicted of lying to auditors over his relationship with a bicycle firm's director, was on Tuesday, June 10, 2014, given the maximum $5,000 fine for the offence. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
By Ian Poh
SINGAPORE - The National Parks Board (NParks) officer convicted of lying to auditors over his relationship with a bicycle firm's director was on Tuesday given the maximum $5,000 fine for the offence.
Assistant Director Bernard Lim Yong Soon, 42, told the Ministry of National Development (MND) on 18 July, 2012 that he first met Bikehop's Lawrence Lim Chun How on March 16 that year.
The men had actually met in September or October 2011 at a night cycling event. Bernard Lim later tipped Mr Lawrence Lim off about an upcoming tender he was overseeing for folding bicycles in Jan 2012. This led to the firm's successful bid to supply 22 Brompton bikes to NParks, for $57,200.
Following a nine-day trial, Bernard Lim was cleared on May 29 of one other charge of instigating Lawrence Lim to perpetuate the lie.
SINGAPORE: The Attorney-General's Chambers has filed a Notice of Appeal against the sentence of a former National Parks Board (NParks) Assistant Director for giving false information to auditors from the Ministry of National Development (MND). A spokesperson revealed this, in response to media inquiries on Wednesday (June 10).
This comes a day after Bernard Lim Yong Soon was given the maximum fine of S$5,000 for the offence. He had faced up to a year's jail.
Lim had lied to MND officers who were conducting an internal audit into Nparks' purchase of 26 Brompton bicycles. He had denied that he was friends with Lawrence Lim Chun How, the director of the company BikeHop Singapore that had won the tender.
Bernard Lim had earlier been acquitted of another charge of instigating Lawrence Lim to give false information to public servants. The AGC will be appealing against the acquittal as well.
NParks bikes case: Apex court declines to answer prosecution's question
Published on Apr 10, 2015 3:42 PM
Bernard Lim Yong Soon leaving the State Courts on March 26, 2014. Lim was fined $5,000 last June by a district court for giving false information to auditors about his relationship with a bike supplier. -- ST PHOTO: FILE
By Selina Lum
SINGAPORE - The criminal case that arose out of the Brompton bicycles saga, which saw a former NParks assistant director fined $5,000 for lying to auditors, came to a close on Friday with the country's highest court declining to answer a question posed by the prosecution.
Last June, Bernard Lim Yong Soon, 43, was fined $5,000 by a district court for giving false information to auditors about his relationship with a bike supplier. This was upheld by the High Court, dismissing the prosecution's appeal for jail.
In February, the prosecution, in a procedure known as a criminal reference, took the case to the Court of Appeal, asking it to determine when a jail term is warranted for such offences.
The three-judge court had then declined to give a ruling based on the present question of law submitted, but gave the prosecution two weeks to re-submit a "more appropriately framed" question.
But the reframed question was also rejected by the court, which dismissed the prosecution's application on Friday.
In the judgement, delivered by Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin, the court said that the question was not a question of law of public interest.
Under the law, the procedure of criminal reference is only reserved for the court to determine questions of law of public interest.
But in the current case, the prosecution was in effect seeking a ruling on a benchmark sentence for such an offence.
"The truth of the matter is that a question concerning sentence, which is necessarily fact-sensitive, cannot be camouflaged as a question of law," said the court.
A spokesman for the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) noted that the Court of Appeal "has explained how and when it considers it appropriate to exercise its powers under the Criminal Reference mechanism".
The AGC will study the grounds of decision very carefully, she said.
