Fish wholesale firm proprietor gave at least $43,500 in bribes to FairPrice senior team leader

Heah Han Huat pleaded guilty on Monday to two graft charges involving at least $12,000 in all. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

SINGAPORE - Over eight years, the sole proprietor of a fish wholesale company gave at least $43,500 in bribes to a senior team leader at supermarket chain FairPrice.

Heah Han Huat, who ran Ocean Trust Trading, handed the cash to Lim Kian Kok, 48, from July 2013 to September 2020 to induce him to buy more fish from Heah’s company.

Heah, 65, pleaded guilty on Monday to two graft charges involving at least $12,000 in all. Six other graft charges involving the remaining amount will be considered during sentencing.

Lim is no longer working for FairPrice and his case is pending.

As a senior team leader, he was tasked to oversee FairPrice’s buying operations at Jurong Fishery Port.

He also had the discretion to determine which supplier to buy fish and seafood from, and how much to buy from each company.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei said that some time in or around July 2013, Lim told Heah that he would buy more fish from Ocean Trust if Heah gave him money.

Heah then agreed to give him $500 a month.

The DPP added that Heah would place the cash in an envelope and give it to Lim in person at places including at Jurong Fishery Port when no one else was around.

According to court documents, the payments continued until September 2020.

DPP Tan urged the court to sentence Heah to between eight months and a year’s jail, stressing that he had committed the offences for personal gain.

His bail was set at $50,000 on Monday, and he is expected to be sentenced on March 9.

Heah is not the first person to be convicted in court over graft charges involving Lim.

In an earlier proceeding, Ngow Chun Siong, 44, admitted that he had conspired with his then boss to give nearly $25,000 in bribes to Lim.

Ngow, who was working for a company called Fish Vision Agro-tech at the time of the offences, was on Feb 13 sentenced on to seven months’ jail and a fine of $4,000 after he pleaded guilty to one count each of drink-driving and graft.

He was also disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for 2½ years.

The case involving Ngow’s then boss, Chew Kim Hwee, 47, is pending.

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