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May 16, 2011
Pork supplier acquitted of corruption
By Elena Chong
Acquitted: Businessman Ong Soon Guan, 44, has claimed trial to four charges of giving bribes in the form of KTV entertainment, in return for leniency when it came to inspection work. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
A BUSINESSMAN was cleared of four corruption charges on Monday after a trial.
Mr Ong Soon Guan, 44, managing director of home-grown pork processor and distributor Ong Joo Joo Food Industries, was acquitted of corruptly giving bribes in the form of KTV entertainment amounting to $5,883 to a Cold Storage executive in 2003 and 2004.
He was tried for giving the bribes to Mr Peter Lee King Hock, 46, then a category manager for meat at Cold Storage, at Copthorne Orchid Hotel, Grand Century Niteclub and Tycoon Deluxe Lounge & Nite-Club, both at Havelock Road, as an inducement to be more lenient in his inspections of work done by Ong Joo Joo Food Industries.
District Judge Jasbendar Kaur found that the prosecution had not proved its case that there was corrupt intent on the part of Mr Ong when he entertained the former Cold Storage employee.
Mr Ong had not disputed that he paid the bills at the nightclubs and lounges but denied any corrupt intent.
Mr Ong, whose father started selling pork at a wet market stall when he was a boy, is still supplying chilled and frozen pork to the supermarket.
