Allied Tech chief exec and CFO to assist in CAD probe

Allied Technologies' chief executive officer Clement Leow Wee Kia and chief financial officer Ong Lizhen will be "providing assistance" to the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) on an investigation.

The Catalist-listed precision engineering firm had made headlines last May when news broke that $33 million of its funds parked with JLC Advisors had gone missing, while JLC managing partner Jeffrey Ong's whereabouts were unknown.

That same month, the CAD seized documents from Allied Tech relating to the company and three of its subsidiaries, as well as the JLC escrow account. CAD also interviewed Allied Tech's executive director Kenneth Low Si Ren.

CAD has not disclosed to the company further details of the probe as at Wednesday, Allied Tech said.

Allied Tech added that it intends to cooperate fully with CAD on the investigation and will provide further updates to shareholders on subsequent material developments.

Separately, Ong from JLC has been slapped with 26 charges, having been arraigned last October on four fresh counts, including the most serious offence of criminal breach of trust.

Trading in Allied Tech shares has been suspended since early May, amid concerns raised by auditor Ernst & Young over the company's financials.

THE BUSINESS TIMES

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 24, 2020, with the headline Allied Tech chief exec and CFO to assist in CAD probe. Subscribe