Former Ministry of Foreign Affairs protocol chief, Lim Cheng Hoe, has been stripped of the public service medals he had previously obtained.

Notices published in the Government Gazette on Monday said that with effect from March 19, the President has forfeited Lim of the Public Administration Medal (Silver), the Commendation Medal, the Efficiency Medal, and the Long Service Medal.

Lim, 61, was sentenced to 15 months in jail on February for 10 counts of cheating.

The public service veteran had headed an MFA department in charge of organising official overseas visits and receiving foreign dignitaries. He had pleaded guilty to pilfering $88,997 by falsifying claims for more than 10,000 boxes of pineapple tarts and 248 bottles of wine between February 2008 and May 2012. He had, in fact, bought only about 2,200 boxes and 89 bottles to give to foreign diplomats.