NParks officer who tried to get bribe found with upskirt photos during investigation

Lee Choon Phing pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of insulting a woman’s modesty. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE – A National Parks Board (NParks) manager who tried to get a $10,000 bribe from a businessman was later found with upskirt pictures in his possession during an investigation.

Lee Choon Phing, 49, pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of insulting a woman’s modesty, as well as one count each of cheating and attempting to obtain the bribe.

At the time of the offences, he was a manager at the agency’s Community in Bloom (CIB) initiative, which promotes gardening among residents.

He had tried to obtain the bribe from businessman Tan Beng Khoon, also known as Jota, the sole proprietor of event merchandise supplier SBM Easi Trade.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Victoria Ting said that in 2016, SBM was awarded its first NParks procurement contract for the supply of 10,000 CIB gardener’s hats. The agency then retained 5,000 unused hats.

In September 2019, Lee told his supervisor that hats had to be reordered in early 2020 in preparation for the Singapore Garden Festival, which was slated for August 2022.

Lee later prepared an invitation to quote, with details stating that the hats had to be delivered by March 13, 2020, and told Mr Tan about the invitation.

The procurement contract for the supply of 10,000 hats was eventually awarded to SBM on Feb 5, 2020, at a total value of $23,300.

Lee later told Mr Tan to deliver only 5,000 hats and give the money for the remaining 5,000 personally to Lee.

The prosecutor told the court: “The accused took out his handphone, typed ‘10k’ in... his Web browser, and showed the screen to Jota saying ‘this’. Jota realised the accused (was) asking for $10,000 to be paid to (him) personally.”

Mr Tan rejected Lee’s request and gave no money to him.

Lee also told Mr Tan to submit delivery orders falsely stating that SBM had delivered 10,000 hats to NParks, even though it had not done so.

Mr Tan had told Lee that SBM could not complete its delivery by the March 13, 2020, deadline due to delays in China.

According to court documents, the businessman did as Lee instructed in early 2020.

Lee then signed the delivery orders to purportedly acknowledge receiving the goods even though SBM had not completed its delivery.

On March 26, 2020, SBM finally received 5,000 hats from its supplier in China and handed them to NParks.

An NParks executive then processed a $23,300 payment to SBM, which the company received on April 14, 2020. Mr Tan continued to reject Lee’s request for the $10,000.

Mr Tan also told Lee that he wanted to fully supply NParks with 10,000 hats.

The DPP said: “(Lee) told Jota that if Jota did not pay $8,000, he would reject the 5,000 hats delivered by SBM on March 26, 2020... Jota (then) offered to return 50 per cent of the purchase sum to NParks.”

On April 30, 2020, Mr Tan e-mailed Lee an SBM credit note payable to NParks. The total value of the credit note was $11,650 but Lee failed to take any action on this credit note.

Court documents did not disclose how the offences came to light, but investigators later seized Lee’s hard disk, which was found to contain upskirt pictures.

Lee is expected to be sentenced on March 29.

In a statement to The Straits Times on Monday evening, NParks said that Lee has been suspended from official duties since May 2020.

Its spokesman also said: “As the matter is before the courts, it is not appropriate for NParks to comment.”

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