A former safety supervisor was jailed for one month and ordered to pay a penalty of $650 on Wednesday for corruption.

Sinnathuray P. Shumanagam, 50, pleaded guilty to corruptly getting a reward of $250 from Mr Maamon Haji Mohamad, a safety supervisor from Wah Loon Plant & Instrumentation. He received the amount in exchange for issuing a permit to the subcontractor to hoist a container from a lorry without a proper lifting supervisor and rigging crew in 2007.

He also admitted to getting a red packet containing $300 from safety coordinator Agus Slamat from subcontractor SkyA Construction for allowing the latter's workers to carry out welding works without going through a safety induction course. Sinnathuray was then with Bovis Lend Lease Pharmaceutical, the main contractor in charge of managing two projects involving the building of a pharmaceutical and biological plant at Tuas Bay Link.

The court heard that Wah Loon was delivering a 40-foot container to the site to serve as an office but had no certified lifting supervisor and signal crew present. Sinnathuray told Mr Maamon that he could help him by issuing a lifting certificate if he was paid $250. Mr Maamon agreed.

After the job was done, Sinnathuray used part of the $250 he got to pay a colleague and two workers from Wah Loon for their help.

In January 2007, he acceded to Mr Agus' request to allow SkyA's welders to carry out welding works at the project site without first going through the mandatory safety induction course.

A few weeks later, during the Chinese New Year festive season, he met Mr Agus and hinted that he was expecting a "hong bao'' or red packet. Mr Agus approached his boss who agreed to give Sinnathuray a red packet of $300.

A third charge of corruptly getting entertainment worth $100 from a project engineer was considered during his sentencing.