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NEA man accused of taking $129k bribes
04 May 2011
SOURCE: The Straits Times
A SENIOR technical officer with the National Environment Agency (NEA) is on trial for allegedly accepting a total of $128,980 from a contractor to give him business.
Oh Hian Kee, 47, is accused of pocketing bribes of $3,000 to $30,000 from Mr Tan Boon Gee, a director of Mincon Engineering, between May 2006 and August last year.
The prosecution alleges that Oh took the bribes in return for recommending Mincon to be awarded contracts at Tuas South Incineration Plant, where he was attached.
Oh, represented by Mr K. Jayakumar Naidu, is saying that the money was for football bets that the duo had wagered on.
At the start of the trial yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kwek Chin Yong said Oh was attached to the Mechanical Maintenance Unit (MMU) of the incineration plant at that time.
As one of the two team leaders at MMU, his duties included planning the schedule for the overhauling of cranes, calling for quotations for repairs and procurement of equipment.
The team leaders also assisted the plant’s engineers in evaluating the bids submitted by the private contractors such as Mincon.
The court heard that Oh and Mr Tan got to know each other in the 1990s. They kept in touch and had travelled together.
During the five-day trial, the prosecution intends to prove that the relationship was more than just one between friends.
DPP Kwek said Oh had corruptly accepted the money as rewards to help Mincon get selected for projects at the incineration plant on 15 occasions.
Among the nine prosecution witnesses lined up is Ms Lim Mui Hoon, who got to know Oh from their days as voluntary special constables in 2000.
In October 2006, he asked her to cash a cheque on his behalf.
It was a cash cheque signed by Mr Tan and she subsequently handed the $30,000 to him.
Taking the stand yesterday, special investigator Ng Lip Sing of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) testified that Oh had cooperated in the investigations.
Mr Naidu objected when Assistant Public Prosecutor S. Puspha sought to submit three statements Oh gave to CPIB.
There will be a trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of the statements.
The trial continues today.
Oh, who faces 15 charges of corruption, has been suspended from work and is out on $60,000 bail.
If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to five years on each charge.
04 May 2011
SOURCE: The Straits Times
A SENIOR technical officer with the National Environment Agency (NEA) is on trial for allegedly accepting a total of $128,980 from a contractor to give him business.
Oh Hian Kee, 47, is accused of pocketing bribes of $3,000 to $30,000 from Mr Tan Boon Gee, a director of Mincon Engineering, between May 2006 and August last year.
The prosecution alleges that Oh took the bribes in return for recommending Mincon to be awarded contracts at Tuas South Incineration Plant, where he was attached.
Oh, represented by Mr K. Jayakumar Naidu, is saying that the money was for football bets that the duo had wagered on.
At the start of the trial yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kwek Chin Yong said Oh was attached to the Mechanical Maintenance Unit (MMU) of the incineration plant at that time.
As one of the two team leaders at MMU, his duties included planning the schedule for the overhauling of cranes, calling for quotations for repairs and procurement of equipment.
The team leaders also assisted the plant’s engineers in evaluating the bids submitted by the private contractors such as Mincon.
The court heard that Oh and Mr Tan got to know each other in the 1990s. They kept in touch and had travelled together.
During the five-day trial, the prosecution intends to prove that the relationship was more than just one between friends.
DPP Kwek said Oh had corruptly accepted the money as rewards to help Mincon get selected for projects at the incineration plant on 15 occasions.
Among the nine prosecution witnesses lined up is Ms Lim Mui Hoon, who got to know Oh from their days as voluntary special constables in 2000.
In October 2006, he asked her to cash a cheque on his behalf.
It was a cash cheque signed by Mr Tan and she subsequently handed the $30,000 to him.
Taking the stand yesterday, special investigator Ng Lip Sing of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) testified that Oh had cooperated in the investigations.
Mr Naidu objected when Assistant Public Prosecutor S. Puspha sought to submit three statements Oh gave to CPIB.
There will be a trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of the statements.
The trial continues today.
Oh, who faces 15 charges of corruption, has been suspended from work and is out on $60,000 bail.
If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to five years on each charge.
