SINGAPORE - A former group financial controller of Singapore Technologies Marine (ST Marine) was charged in court on Wednesday (June 10) with 38 counts of abetting to make false entries for entertainment expenses amounting to $126,156.
Patrick Lee Swee Ching, 57, is the last of the five former executives of the company to be hauled up in court.
He allegedly abetted the making of false entries in papers belonging to ST Marine by engaging in a conspiracy with See Leong Teck and Mok Kim Whang to claim entertainment expenses when none was incurred between 2004 and 2007.
Lee's lawyer Hamidul Haq told the court his client intends to "take a certain course as soon as possible''.
The case is fixed for mention on July 1.
His bail of $150,000 has been extended until then, and his passport has been impounded.
Former ST Marine president See, 65, and Mok, 64, a former senior vice-president, are among four former ST Marine executives who have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The other two are former ST Marine president Chang Cheow Teck, 55, who took over from See, and former group financial controller Ong Teck Liam, 59.
Their pre-trial conference will come up on Thursday.
If convicted, Lee can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined on each charge.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said that Singapore adopts a zero tolerance approach towards corruption. It takes a serious view of any corrupt practices and will not hesitate to take action against any party involved in such acts.
