Second S’porean charged over alleged bribes offered to fix basketball matches in Thailand

SINGAPORE – A local man has been charged after he allegedly worked with another Singapore national to offer at least US$3,000 (S$3,975) in bribes to fix basketball games in Thailand.

Poh Wei Hao, 30, who used to own two companies – Wow! Events and Adroit Events and Marketing – was handed four graft charges on Friday.

He is accused of committing the offences with Koa Wei Quan, 32, who used to own transportation firm Koa Motor.

Koa was handed 14 graft charges in April in the State Courts in Singapore. He is accused of offering nearly $70,000 in bribes to fix the results of basketball games in Thailand and the Philippines.

His case is pending.

A player from Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) club, Mr Almond Pineda Vosotros, who was then playing in the Thailand Basketball League (TBL), is named in all four of Poh’s charges.

On or around July 1, 2018, Poh allegedly worked with Koa to give a $1,000 bribe to Mr Vosotros to arrange for PEA club to lose its game against the Mono Vampire basketball club on July 1, 2018.

The two Singaporeans are also accused of working together to offer a bribe of US$1,500 to Mr Vosotros, in order for the latter to arrange for PEA club and the Hi-Tech Assumption Thonburi basketball club to finish the game with a total combined score of under 165 points in a match six days later.

Poh and Koa are said to have conspired yet again to offer an unspecified sum of money to Mr Vosotros to arrange for the PEA club to lose by more than five points in its match against the Black Scorpion basketball club in a match on July 8, 2018.

The pair allegedly worked together for the fourth time to offer a bribe of US$1,500 to Mr Vosotros to arrange for the PEA club to lose its match against the Hi-Tech Assumption Thonburi basketball club by 20 points or more in a match a week later.

Poh’s case has been adjourned to May 29.

Meanwhile, Koa is said to have tried to influence games played in the Philippines Basketball Association league and the Thailand Basketball League between April and July 2018.

Among other things, he allegedly offered a bribe of US$5,000 to one Ian Sanggalang on or around April 6, 2018.

Koa is also accused of working with two others – Sergei Bien Orillo and Leonidez Zapata Avenido – to arrange for the Magnolia Hotshots basketball club to lose its match against the San Miguel Beermen basketball club by nine or more points in the Philippines Cup Final Game 5.

Koa is said to have worked with the same pair around 16 days later, when he allegedly offered a bribe of 525,000 Philippine pesos (S$12,575) to unknown players from the Blackwater Elite basketball club.

It was for the club to win by a four-point margin or less, or lose their match against the Columbian Dyip in the Philippines Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.

Koa was allegedly involved in graft cases linked to basketball matches in Thailand soon after.

While court documents did not disclose details about the men who were allegedly involved in his graft charges, checks showed these individuals may be involved in basketball leagues in the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore.

For most of the cases, the documents did not disclose if the money allegedly offered changed hands.

If convicted of graft, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.