Ex-condo manager fined over $4.2k bribe; case allegedly linked to family of 4 accused of graft

SINGAPORE – A condominium manager accepted bribes totalling $4,200 from a construction company director

who is currently accused of committing graft with his wife and their two sons

.

Court documents stated that Theva Sundram, 71, accepted the money from 67-year-old Ong Chin Kee – also known as Jesson.

The prosecution said that Ong handed him the money as reward for recommending Ong’s company, OCL Building Services, for various projects at The Ladyhill condominium near Orange Grove Road.

Theva was fined $20,000 on Nov 24 after he pleaded guilty to a graft charge.

The cases involving Ong Chin Kee, his wife Lea Lam Moy, 67, and their two sons – Jordan Ong Wei How, 31, and Jovi Ong Teng Hong, 36 – are still pending.

The four family members were handed multiple corruption charges in June, and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said in an earlier statement that their alleged offences involved move than $56,000 in bribes to various individuals.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicole Teo said: “Between 2018 and 2022, the members of the Ong family entered into a general conspiracy with one another to issue bribes to managers of various properties in exchange for awarding jobs to OCL.

“Their modus operandi was to offer these bribes to the managers, and to pass the managers the bribes in cash. One of these managers was Theva.”

At the time of the alleged offences, Lea was a director at OCL Building Services, Jordan Ong was its general manager, while Jovi Ong was its project director.

For the current case, DPP Teo said that Theva was employed by a managing agent company at the time of his offence, and he was deployed to The Ladyhill from 2012 to 2022.

As a condominium manager, the Singaporean’s job scope included taking charge of the day-to-day affairs of the property, including maintaining and improving its facade.

He was also tasked to call for quotations and liaise with contractors for maintenance work at the property.

He would then provide The Ladyhill’s Management Corporation Strata Title with his recommendations on which contractor should be awarded the contracts in open tenders.

Theva was introduced to Ong Chin Kee in 2016, and was told that he could ask the latter to provide quotes for works required at The Ladyhill.

The prosecutor added: “In 2019, after OCL had completed a job for The Ladyhill, Jesson went to (the property) to give Theva some money as a reward for recommending OCL as the contractor of choice for that project.

“Jesson continued to give money to Theva on various occasions in relation to other projects at The Ladyhill which Theva had recommended OCL for.”

Court documents stated that Ong Chin Kee handed $4,000 to Theva shortly after OCL issued an invoice dated Oct 2, 2019, to The Ladyhill for various works done.

He handed Theva another $200 in 2020, said the prosecutor.