A FORMER relationship manager of a private bank signed on blank letterheads of his employer to let a friend use them as genuine.

Allen Francis Jordan, 32, was fined $10,000 on each of three charges of aiding Ho Nyat Yeing, 51, a relationship manager with American Express Bank (AEB), to use the MeesPierson reference letters, which purported to show that the clients had maintained accounts with MeesPierson. He pleaded guilty.

Jordan was then with MeesPierson Asia/Fortis Bank at the time of the offences between 2005 and 2007.

He is now an assistant vice president of EFG Bank but has been suspended from duties.

A district court heard that AEB lodged a report in May last year alleging that numerous bank reference letters submitted by Ho did not appear to be authentic.

Such letters were then required by AEB for the opening of new private banking accounts by prospective clients.

These letters should be issued by banks with which the prospective clients had maintained a relationship, stating the length of relationship that they had been with the banks and whether the conduct of the accounts had been satisfactory.

Investigation showed that in August 2005, Ho told Jordan of her difficulties in getting the letters. Jordan then agreed to help her.

He signed on the blank letters of MeesPierson before handing them to Ho, who would then print the contents of the letterheads and submit them to AEB for the opening of clients' accounts.

Nine other similar charges were taken into consideration.

Ho's case is pending.

Jordan's lawyer S.S. Dhillon said his client did not benefit from his actions. He merely did it to help Ho, his mentor, who was introduced to him by his mother in 1998.

Jordan could have been jailed for up to two years or fined or both on each charge.