Employee of town council managing agent charged with corruption offences

Employee of town council managing agent charged with corruption offences Phua Gim Chuan, a senior project manager at EM Services, is accused of obtaining S$220,000 in bribes linked to contract proposals involving several town councils. SINGAPORE: A senior project manager at a company that managed Holland-Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Sengkang town councils was charged on Friday (Aug 21) with taking bribes to advance the interests of three contractors. Phua Gim Chuan, 63, worked for EM Services, the managing agent for the three town councils. He faces six charges related to the alleged corruption and money laundering offences. According to its website, EM Services currently serves 10 of Singapore’s 19 town councils. Checks by CNA showed that it continues to manage Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council and Sembawang Town Council. From March 2020 to January 2023, Phua allegedly obtained bribes from three company directors to advance their business interests in contract proposals involving the respective town councils. The alleged bribes totalled S$220,000 (US$173,160), court documents showed. Phua is accused of concealing S$90,000 of the cash he allegedly received by instructing his wife to deposit it in her personal bank account in December 2022. He is also accused of using about S$105,000 of the funds to pay for a Mercedes-Benz car in January 2023. The three company directors – Yap Hwee Kang, Lim Kian Koon and Ng Lee Peng – also face corruption charges for allegedly giving Phua bribes. Yap, 66, and Lim, 64, face one charge each, while Ng, 62, faces two charges. Yap, who was then a director at Paragon Engineering, is accused of giving Phua S$30,000 in bribes in March 2020 in relation to a proposal for a contract with Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council. Between September and October 2022, Ng allegedly gave Phua S$40,000 to advance MCE Contract Services’ interests in a proposal for a contract with Sembawang Town Council. Ng, who was also a director at J&M Construction, allegedly gave Phua another S$50,000 in January 2023 in connection with a contract proposal involving Sengkang Town Council. Lim, who was a director at Seah & Lim Construction, is accused of giving Phua S$100,000 in bribes in December 2022, to advance the company’s interests in a proposal for a contract with Sengkang Town Council. The men are due for their next hearing on Sep 18. Individuals convicted of such offences can be fined up to S$100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both. The maximum jail term for each corruption offence can be increased to seven years if the charge is related to a matter, contract or sub-contract with the government or a public body, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau in a media release on Friday.