SINGAPORE - The prosecution is appealing the court's decision on both charges it had brought against National Parks Board (NParks) officer Bernard Lim Yong Soon.

Lim, 42, was convicted on May 29 of lying to auditors from the Ministry of National Development over a $57,200 bicycle deal. For this, he was fined the maximum $5,000 by a district court on Tuesday, even though prosecutors had asked for a jail term of at least three to four months. Lim was also sacked by NParks shortly after Tuesday's hearing.

Despite the lying conviction, Lim was acquitted on a second charge of instigating the director of Bikehop, a bicycle firm, to perpetuate the lie.

In a statement released on Wednesday evening, the Attorney-General's Chambers said it had filed a notice of appeal on both matters.

District Judge Marvin Bay had found that the bicycle firm's director had more likely acted out of personal anxiety to keep the two mens' stories consistent. The judge had also found that Lim's conduct had not been as bad as that seen in other lying cases which resulted in jail.

In 2012, Lim tipped off the director of Bikehop about an upcoming tender he was in charge of to help the man. As a result, the company put in the sole, successful bid to supply 26 foldable Brompton bikes to NParks in January 2012.

Afraid of being discovered after the deal came under public scrutiny over the $2,200 cost of each bicycle, Lim lied to the Ministry of National Development during an audit on July 18 that year.

He said he first met Bikehop's director in March, after the tender had been awarded. The duo had actually met at a cycling event at least five months earlier, before the tender had opened. The Bikehop director, however, came clean to auditors after lying initially.