SINGAPORE : After four days of cross—examination by the prosecution, former Ren Ci hospital chief Ming Yi stressed in court on Wednesday morning that he was not extravagant.
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Questioning reverted to his lawyer Andre Yeap, and Ming Yi detailed how he diligently juggled the finances when the charity faced operational deficits between the years 2000 and 2002.
For example, Ren Ci borrowed money from its board members to pay salaries, which it paid back when government subsidies arrived.
With the focus in recent days on some of his expenses, such as a horse, the monk also clarified that he only wanted to have a horse "as a pet" to "look after and feed" — which is why, he said, he sold the animal after he discovered it was a show jumping horse.
Two witnesses took the stand when the hearing resumed in the afternoon.
Lim Kim Hua, an ex—board member and ex—treasurer of Ren Ci, said Raymond Yeung’s loan of S$50,000 was approved even though he had no employment pass, as he had helped and volunteered at the hospital.
But Lim earlier told the Commercial Affairs Department that non Ren Ci staff were not entitled to loans.
The other witness, See Long Hian, an ex—treasurer and a friend of Ming Yi for 20 years, said Ren Ci does not lend public money to non Ren Ci staff. He also added that there was no proper recorded documentation of the loan.
Ming Yi told the court that he did not give much thought when Yeung approached him for a loan from Mandala, and that he did not follow up to make sure that there was proper documentation.
Ming Yi added that he did not make sure that Yeung had repaid the loan and that he had covered up Yeung’s lie. — CNA /ls
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090722/tap-016-shi-ming-yi-denies-extravagant-c-231650b.html
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Questioning reverted to his lawyer Andre Yeap, and Ming Yi detailed how he diligently juggled the finances when the charity faced operational deficits between the years 2000 and 2002.
For example, Ren Ci borrowed money from its board members to pay salaries, which it paid back when government subsidies arrived.
With the focus in recent days on some of his expenses, such as a horse, the monk also clarified that he only wanted to have a horse "as a pet" to "look after and feed" — which is why, he said, he sold the animal after he discovered it was a show jumping horse.
Two witnesses took the stand when the hearing resumed in the afternoon.
Lim Kim Hua, an ex—board member and ex—treasurer of Ren Ci, said Raymond Yeung’s loan of S$50,000 was approved even though he had no employment pass, as he had helped and volunteered at the hospital.
But Lim earlier told the Commercial Affairs Department that non Ren Ci staff were not entitled to loans.
The other witness, See Long Hian, an ex—treasurer and a friend of Ming Yi for 20 years, said Ren Ci does not lend public money to non Ren Ci staff. He also added that there was no proper recorded documentation of the loan.
Ming Yi told the court that he did not give much thought when Yeung approached him for a loan from Mandala, and that he did not follow up to make sure that there was proper documentation.
Ming Yi added that he did not make sure that Yeung had repaid the loan and that he had covered up Yeung’s lie. — CNA /ls
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090722/tap-016-shi-ming-yi-denies-extravagant-c-231650b.html
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