Jail for man who worked with others to give $90k in bribes to then assistant director at NLB

SINGAPORE – The chief financial officer and director of an engineering services firm conspired with two other men to give $90,000 in bribes to an assistant director at the National Library Board (NLB).

Lien Hoi Choon, 69, who was then working for Broadcast Engineering Services (BES), committed the offences to advance its business interests with NLB in relation to ongoing and future contracts.

Court documents stated that he had engaged in a conspiracy with his then colleagues – Francis Lim Boon Hor, 49, and Tan Lai Heng, 64 –

to give the bribes to Adrian Chan Siew Leng, 49

.

On Feb 18, Lien was sentenced to six months and two weeks’ jail after he pleaded guilty to two graft charges, each linked to $30,000. A third graft charge involving another $30,000 was considered during sentencing.

In July 2024, Tan was sentenced to six months and two weeks’ jail. Court documents did not disclose the outcome of Lim’s case.

As for Chan, his case is pending. NLB told The Straits Times in a statement in 2024 that it immediately suspended Chan from his duties in June 2020 when it was notified of the investigation.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei told the court that while working as an assistant director at NLB, Chan was deployed to the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), where he was the head of its Sound and Moving Image Laboratory.

On Oct 24, 2017, NLB called a tender, seeking a contractor to ramp up NAS’ audio-visual infrastructure and systems.

Chan was the project manager and a member of the evaluation committee for the tender, which closed in November that year.

On Feb 2, 2018, NLB awarded the project worth more than $8 million to BES. The DPP said this was one of the company’s largest projects.

She added that some time on or before April 26, 2018, Chan asked Lim if BES was “open for sponsorship/scholarship” for his master’s programme. Court documents did not state details of the programme.

The prosecutor said Lim spoke to Tan about the matter and the latter agreed. The two men then approached Lien about the request.  DPP Tan said Lien knew that it was wrong to give Chan monies as these would be considered bribes.

However, he agreed to the deal as he wanted to maintain a good working relationship with Chan.

According to court documents, Lim handed Chan $30,000 in cash on Sept 27, 2018, and the money came from BES’ bank account.

DPP Tan said that Chan later approached Lim for more money. On April 3, 2019, Lim handed him $30,000 in cash, also withdrawn from BES’ bank account.

On Feb 18, the DPP urged the court to sentence Lien to up to 9½ months in jail for each graft charge, stressing that the bribes were paid in cash to avoid a paper trail.

Defence lawyers Sunil Sudheesan and Joyce Khoo from Quahe Woo & Palmer, however, pleaded for their client to be given around four months’ jail in total.

In the mitigation plea, they stated that their client “did not receive any personal benefit from his arrangement” with Lim and Tan.

The lawyers added that Lien had a stroke in December 2018 and is in poor health. He needs regular follow-ups at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the court heard.