SINGAPORE - Two directors of a private school, which was ordered to be shut down a year ago, were charged on Wednesday (June 1) with offences under the Private Education Act and abetting to obstruct the course of justice.

Kings International Business School (KIBS) in Bukit Merah Central had its registration cancelled in May last year after investigation showed that it had offered and awarded some students with diplomas in maritime studies without requiring class attendance or assessment.

Pek Siew Gek, 39, faces 14 charges while Tang Yudong, 27, a Singapore permanent resident, faces two. They were managers and directors of KIBS.

The duo are alleged to have failed to refund course fees, totalling about $174,000, received from 34 students by July 3 last year after the Council for Private Education had issued a written direction to them to do so.

The amounts to be refunded ranged from $717 to $6,923 per student. Most were pursuing a diploma course in maritime studies.

Pek is accused of furnishing 10 false examination scripts of students to the council on Nov 7, 2014, and two counts of furnishing three attendance lists which were false.

She and Tang allegedly committed abetment by intentionally obstructing the course of justice by asking a staff member to admit that she was the one who produced the false documents to the council during an inspection near the school premises on Nov 11, 2014.

The duo's lawyer , Mr Patrick Fernandez, told District Judge Christopher Goh that he had just been briefed, and asked for four weeks to take instructions and possibly, to make representations.

The maximum punishment for failing to refund course fees is a $10,000 fine and 12 months' jail.

If convicted of furnishing documents which are false in a material particular, they face a fine of up to $5,000 and/or a jail term of up to six months.

The Penal Code offence is punishable with up to a quarter of the maximum of seven years' jail and fine. The case will be mentioned on June 29.