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Corruption in Singapore

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The Republic of Singapore is generally perceived as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Cases are mostly handled by the Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), a government agency in Singapore that investigates and prosecutes corruption in the public and private sectors.[1] According to a Transparency International survey, an overwhelming majority of people in Singapore do not hear cases of corruption by public officials or institutions through media in their lifetime. In 2020, Singapore's public sector was ranked by Transparency International as the fourth least corrupt in the world and the most transparent in Asia.[2]

Overview

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Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index scored 180 countries on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean") and ranked the countries by score. Singapore received a score of 83 and was ranked 5th, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[3] For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11 (ranked 180).[4] For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among the countries of the Asia Pacific region[a] was 85—only New Zealand outscored Singapore in the region—the average score was 45 and the lowest score was 17.[5]

According to Transparency International's 2015 "Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index" the highest corruption risk area is "Operations" followed by "Finance".[6]

Business executives surveyed in the World Economic Forum's 2014–2015 Global Competitiveness Report reported no problems doing business in Singapore.[7]

A strain of political reasoning behind Singapore's low corruption theorizes that compared to neighboring nations such as Thailand and Malaysia, a theory that the powers of the state were able to pressure private interests into funneling capital into sectors that would ultimately benefit the public in the long term.[8]

Indicators of corruption

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Common measurements of corruption in Singapore
Year Corruption Perceptions Index[b] Bribes Payer Index[c] Control of Corruption[d]
Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score
2023 5/180 83/100[9] - - - -
2022 5/180 83/100[10] - - - -
2021 4/180 85/100[11] - - - -
2020 4/180 85/100 - - - -
2019 4/180 85/100 - - - -
2018 3/180 85/100 - - - -
2017 6/180 84/100 - - - -
2016 7/168 84/100 - - - -
2015 8/168 85/100 - - - -
2014 7/175 84/100 - - - -
2013 5/177 86/100 - - - -
2012 5/176 87/100 - - - -
2011 5/183 9.2/10 8/28 8.3/10 - -
2010 1/178 9.3/10 - - 99% 2.18370827

Notable incidents

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Below are notable Singaporean corruption-related incidents in both the public[12] and private[13] sector.

Minister Tan Kia Gan (1966)

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In August 1966, Tan Kia Gan, the former Minister for National Development (1960–1963), was investigated for attempting to assist businessman Lim Tjin Hauw and his son William Lim in securing the sale of a Boeing aircraft to Malaysian Airways. In exchange, he received 70,000 shares valued at S$1 (US$0.74) each. As Tan lost his parliamentary seat in the 1963 general elections, he was administratively relieved of all his public appointments by the Singaporean Government.[14][15]

Minister of State Wee Toon Boon (1975)

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In 1975, Minister of State Wee Toon Boon was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to four years and six months in prison, which was reduced to 18 months upon appeal.[16][17]

NTUC President Phey Yew Kok (1979)

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In 1979, then-President of the National Trades Union Congress and Member of Parliament for Boon Teck SMC Phey Yew Kok was charged for misuse of union funds and criminal breach of trust.[18] Phey would go on the run for the next 35 years, until he surrendered to the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok in 2015. Phey was later pleaded guilty to 12 of the 34 charges against him and was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment.[19]

Minister Teh Cheang Wan (1986)

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In 1986, Minister for National Development Teh Cheang Wan was investigated by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) for alleged corruption. Teh died by suicide on 14 December 1986 before he could be charged in court.[14][20]

Koh Seah Wee & Christopher Lim Chai Meng (2011)

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Former Singapore Land Authority (SLA) deputy director of technology and infrastructure, Koh Seah Wee, and former SLA manager, Christopher Lim Chai Meng, were sentenced to jail by the High Court on cheating and money laundering charges. Koh was sentenced to 22 years of jail after admitting to 59 charges and Lim was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment after admitting to 49 charges. Of the $12.2 million laundered, $7.5 million was recovered from Koh. Koh and Lim cheated SLA by using false invoices issued by ex-swim coach Ho Yen Teck who set up seven sole proprietorships to provide fake IT maintenance services and goods that were not delivered. Ho was jailed for 10 years for the conspiracy.[21]

Peter Lim Sin Pang & Ng Boon Gay (2012)

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In January 2012, two senior civil servants were arrested under graft charges. Former head of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Peter Lim Sin Pang,[22] was arrested on 19 December 2011, while Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) chief, Ng Boon Gay, was taken in for questioning on 4 January 2012.[23] Both men were arrested in connection with the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to an IT contract,[24] and in late January 2012, it was announced that both men are also facing disciplinary action by the Public Service Commission, which oversees the conduct of civil servants. After being interdicted, a step only taken when an individual “faces serious offences for which 'criminal proceedings or proceedings for his dismissal or reduction in rank are being contemplated'”,[25] the case provoked comment from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who promised to punish both men if they are guilty of misconduct.[26] The CPIB's silence on this investigation came under the scrutiny of a number of MPs during a parliamentary sitting in February 2012. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Teo Chee Hean then defended the CPIB, stating that any announcement on the outcome of the probe would have been premature and may have compromised the investigation. He also assured concerned MPs that all the findings of the investigation would be publicly reported once they had been finalised.[27]

Peter Lim Sin Pang was dismissed from service in August 2013 after the court verdict and found guilty,[28] whereas Ng Boon Gay took an early retirement after his court verdict rendered an acquittal.[29][30]

Bernard Lim Yong Soon (2012)

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In July 2012, National Parks Board's purchase of 26 Brompton bikes costing $2,200 each sparked a nationwide uproar after it was revealed by a whistleblower on online forum HardwareZone of possible corruption due numerous red flags in the way the procurement was done.[31] Minister of National Development Khaw Boon Wan initially defended NPark's purchase of the high-end foldable bikes.[32] Subsequent investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) resulted in National Parks Board assistant director Bernard Lim Yong Soon's dismissal and being fined $5,000 for lying to auditors about his relationship with the bicycle firm which was awarded the tender.[33][34]

Edwin Yeo Seow Hiong (2013)

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On 23 July 2013, CPIB assistant director Edwin Yeo Seow Hiong was charged with misappropriating at least $1.7 million from the anti-graft agency between 2008 and 2012.[35] Yeo was interdicted from his position as head of field research and technical support at CPIB to assist in a Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) probe into his suspected financial impropriety. Eight of the charges were for misappropriating funds and criminal breach of trust, one was for forgery and the rest were in using part of his ill-gotten gains to gamble at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino.[36] On 20 February 2014, Yeo was sentenced to 10 years jail.[37]

Lim Cheng Hoe (2014)

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On 20 February 2014, former Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) protocol chief Lim Cheng Hoe, 61, was sentenced to 15 months' jail for cheating. From February 2008 to May 2012, Lim made false claims for $89,000 worth of pineapple tarts and wine as gifts for foreign diplomats.[38][39]

Victor Wong Chee Meng (2016)

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General manager and secretary of Ang Mo Kio Town Council, Victor Wong Chee Meng, was removed from his position and placed under investigation by CPIB, after a complaint was lodged in September 2016 over "the way he handles contracts and dealings in the town council". Wong, a Public Service Medal recipient, was concurrently an employee of CPG Facilities Management, which is the appointed managing agent of the town council.[40][41] On 14 March 2018, Wong is charged with 55 counts of corruption offence for receiving some $107,000 in bribes from Chia Sin Lan and Yip Fong Yin, directors of two building and repair companies.[42] Wong and Chia pleaded guilty halfway through the trial and were sentenced to 27 months and 21 months respectively.[43] Both of them appealed and had their sentences increased to 39 months and 33 months respectively.[43]

Alleged Keppel Corporation Bribery (2017)

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According to US prosecutors, Keppel’s offshore and marine arm, Keppel O&M, agreed to pay a US$422 million settlement to avoid a criminal trial for bribing Brazilian officials. Court documents released by the US justice department revealed that Keppel O&M paid US$55 million in bribes between 2001 and 2014, to win 13 contracts with Petrobras and Sete Brasil – two Brazilian oil companies deeply mired in the country's wide-ranging Operation Car Wash graft scandal.[44] Keppel Corporation is one of the Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) under Temasek Holdings.[45] It was the biggest corruption case involving a GLC in Singapore's history.[46]

CPIB started investigations on the six former Keppel O&M employees who are involved in the case.[47] Investigations was closed in 2023 due to insufficient evidence and the inability to summon key witnesses from other countries.[48] Six former Keppel O&M employees were warned in lieu of prosecution.[47]

Rajkumar Padmanathan (2018)

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Rajkumar Padmanathan, 49, was jailed 25 months and six weeks on 27 July 2018 for 28 counts of corruption, cheating and breaching the Official Secrets Act while working at Tengah Air Base and Sembawang Air Base. He leaked tender quotations in order to secure contracts for companies set up by his wife, Jayashree, friend, Jeevan Arumugam, and acquaintance, Kamal Kishore. The total value of contracts awarded to GAS, EFAS, Duratech and GTW set up for the scam was $1,817,379.87 over the period from 2008 to 2014.[49]

Minister S. Iswaran (2023)

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Main article: Prosecution of S Iswaran

On 5 July 2023, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) sought Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's permission to open investigations into Minister for Transport S. Iswaran following the uncovering of evidence of corruption against him. Prime Minister Lee agreed and Iswaran was arrested on 11 July 2023 along with property tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Both were released on bail and with effect from 12 July, Prime Minister Lee had interdicted Iswaran and slashed his pay to $8,500.[50]

On 9 January 2024, Minister-in-charge of Public Service and Minister for Education, Chan Chun Sing issued a parliamentary reply that investigations into Minister Iswaran were completed and that the Attorney General's Chambers was reviewing the case.[51] Nine days later, Iswaran arrived at the State Courts of Singapore where the charges against him were read for the first time.

Iswaran became the first Minister to be investigated for corruption since 1986 (Minister for National Development Teh Cheang Wan's corruption investigation) and the first Minister to be charged and to face trial in court since 1975 (Minister of State for the Environment Wee Toon Boon)—Teh had committed suicide before trial thus prosecution was halted.[16][17][14]

A total of 27 charges were handed down against Iswaran.[52][53]

  • 2 charges were under section 6(a) read with section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) 1960 for corruptly obtaining favours. One charge alleged that in September 2022, Iswaran received a gratification valued at S$145,434 to advance Ong's business interests through an existing contract between the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the latter of which was chaired by Ong at the time. The second alleged that in December 2022, Iswaran received a gratification valued at S$20,848.03, to advance Ong's business interests through both an existing and proposed contract between the STB and Singapore GP Pte Ltd.[53]
  • 24 charges were under section 165 of the Singapore Penal Code for obtaining valuable items without any consideration. The valuables were from Ong, given between November 2015 and December 2021.[53]
  • 1 charge was under section 204A(a) of the Singapore Penal Code for obstructing the course of justice. The alleged offence was on or about 25 May 2023.[53]

On 24th September, the charges under PCA were amended to charges under Section 165 and Iswaran entered a guilty plea. Subsequently on 3 October he was sentenced to 12 months jail for 4 charges under section 165, a charge under obstruction of course of justice and 30 other charges under Section 165 taken into consideration.

The charges are as follows:

4 counts of obtaining gifts as a public servant (Section 165)

  • Sep 2017 - 10 Green Room tickets to the 2017 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix worth S$42,265
  • Jan 2022 - 14 bottles of whiskey and wine worth about S$3256
  • Jun 2022 - A Bromption T-Line bicycle worth about S$7908
  • Dec 2022 - A Singapore-Doha flight on a private plane, one night's stay in Four Seasons Hotel Doha and a Doha-Singapore business class flight, worth about S$20,850

1 count of obstruction of the course of justice

  • May 2023 - Paid S$5700 to Singapore GP for the cost of business flight ticket from Doha to Singapore that he took in Dec 2022.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, and Vietnam
  2. ^ The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries based on how corrupt a country's public sector is perceived to be. It is a composite index, drawing on corruption-related data from expert and business surveys carried out by a variety of independent and reputable institutions.Scores range from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).[3] Prior to 2012, the scope is up to scale of 10.
  3. ^ Bribe Payers Index ranks the world's wealthiest and most economically influential countries according to the likelihood of their firms to bribe abroad. Scores range from 0 to 10, indicating the likelihood of firms headquartered in these countries to bribe when operating abroad. The higher the score for the country, the lower the likelihood of companies from this country to engage in bribery when doing business abroad. Source: Transparency International
  4. ^ Control of corruption reflects perceptions of the extent to which public power is exercised for private gain. This includes both petty and grand forms of corruption, as well as "capture" of the state by elites and private interests. It is one of the six dimensions of the Worldwide Governance Indicators.Point estimates range from about -2.5 to 2.5. Higher values correspond to better governance outcomes. Source: World Bank

References

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  47. ^ a b "CPIB issues stern warnings to 6 former Keppel Offshore & Marine employees over Brazil corruption case". CNA. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
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  50. ^ "Iswaran's case: A timeline of events from graft probe, resignation and new charges".
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  52. ^ "Private jet flight, musical tickets: Iswaran allegedly received items worth over S$384,000 from Ong Beng Seng". CNA. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  53. ^ a b c d "S Iswaran Charged for Corruption and Other Offences".
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