Former National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chief executive T.T. Durai sported a pepper-grey crop as he strode out of the gates of the Queenstown Remand Prison at 10.43am yesterday.

The 59-year-old had completed two-thirds of his three-month sentence for using a fake invoice to cheat the charity into paying $20,000 to an interior designer friend.

He had started his jail term on June 10; his release yesterday was the result of a one-third remission on his sentence - presumably for good behaviour.

Dressed in a white shirt and dark grey trousers and smiling, he looked like he had shed some weight.

He offered a handshake to one of the wardens and, on leaving prison, was bundled into a waiting car which drove off.

Durai's journey to jail can be traced back to July 2005, with the defamation suit he filed against Singapore Press Holdings over an article on the NKF.

He lost the case, which then opened inquiries into the affairs of Singapore's biggest charity.

Durai also lost a civil suit filed by the NKF's new leadership last year and was ordered to pay $4 million in damages. To date, he has repaid $1.4 million.

It has been reported that he has a well-paying job in Abu Dhabi, in the Middle East.

Several attempts to contact Durai and his family yesterday were unsuccessful.