Fewer graft cases reported in 2022, corruption situation in Singapore under control: CPIB
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CPIB said it received 234 corruption-related reports in 2022, 6 per cent lower than the year before.
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SINGAPORE - The number of corruption-related reports dipped in 2022, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said on Friday.
CPIB said in its annual report that it received 234 corruption-related reports in 2022 – a 6 per cent drop from the 249 corruption-related reports it received in 2021.
CPIB registered 83 out of the 234 reports as new cases for investigation in 2022 – the same number of new cases for investigation as in 2021.
This constituted 35 per cent of the total number of corruption-related reports received in 2022, a slight increase compared to the preceding four years.
A report is registered for investigation if the information received is pursuable, said CPIB. This is determined by the quality of the relevant information provided.
Investigative enquiries and intelligence probes by CPIB also uncovered further information that enabled a higher percentage of reports to be registered for investigation.
“The corruption situation in Singapore remains firmly under control,” said the bureau.
“CPIB deeply values the important contributions of our partners in the community to advance our shared goal of combating corruption.
“The bureau is also grateful for the constant vigilance by members of the public against corruption, especially those who have come forward with reports of wrongdoing. Together, we will continue to keep Singapore corruption-free.”
Those with information on corruption cases can contact CPIB anonymously by writing to CPIB Headquarters at 2 Lengkok Bahru, by calling 1800-376-0000, by lodging an e-complaint at this website, report@cpib.gov.sg
Anonymous reports
CPIB said that it treats all reports received seriously, regardless of whether the complainant is named or anonymous.
In 2022, of the 234 corruption-related reports it received, 100 – or 43 per cent – were anonymous.
CPIB said it assesses anonymous reports based on the merit of the information provided. Of the 83 cases registered for investigation in 2022, 13 cases – or 16 per cent – came from anonymous sources.
In 2021, CPIB received an anonymous complaint alleging that a group of Health Sciences Authority (HSA) enforcement officers were pilfering prohibited tobacco products
The bureau mounted Operation CandyCrush, which eventually revealed that at least 16 Certis Cisco officers had either misappropriated contraband cigarettes and vaping devices, or received these items from their colleagues who had misappropriated them in the course of their duties.
These contraband items were either seized in the course of their enforcement work or taken from contraband items at Changi Airport that were meant to be sent to Tuas Incineration Plant for destruction.
Of these officers, six Certis Cisco enforcement officers attached to HSA were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment ranging from two weeks to three months.
CPIB also shared timely case-related details with HSA, Singapore Customs, and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority so that they could review their processes to prevent pilferage of contraband goods.
Feedback was also provided by CPIB to the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department.
Public and private sector cases
Similar to previous years, the vast majority of probed corruption cases in 2022 came from the private sector, accounting for 86 per cent of all cases registered for investigation that year.
Of 71 cases of corruption originating in the private sector, 10 cases – or 14 per cent – involved public sector employees rejecting bribes offered by private sector individuals.
Public sector employees who rejected bribes in 2022 came from the Singapore Police Force, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, the Land Transport Authority and the National Environment Agency.
Public sector-originating cases accounted for 14 per cent of all cases registered for investigation in 2022. These 12 cases succeed an annual average of 11 cases in the preceding four years.
A total of 152 individuals were prosecuted in court for offences investigated by CPIB in 2022. Of these, 148 cases – or 97 per cent– were private sector individuals while the remaining four cases – or 3 per cent – were public sector employees.
In 2020, CPIB received information from an anonymous source that Yap Tin Foo, director of Starburst Engineering, was alleged to have given bribes in the form of entertainment and travel expenses
Being a major player in the local ballistic industry, Starburst was involved in several government-related projects.
Investigations revealed that Yap gave gratification in the form of entertainment and travel expenses of about $14,700 to Tan in 2011.
When the offence took place, Starburst was a subcontractor of Jurong Primewide for the supply and installation of a ballistic protection system under a Multi-Mission Range Complex project that had been awarded to Jurong Primewide by Defence Science & Technology Agency.
Investigations also revealed that Edward Lim Chin Wah, director of Starburst, had allegedly instigated an officer of Starburst to issue falsified subcontracts to G-Cube Engineering, which was Starburst’s subcontractor at the time.
Yap then allegedly instigated an officer of G-Cube to generate false invoices based on the falsified subcontracts to Starburst to seek payment amounting to $552,200 for works that were never carried out.
In addition, CPIB found confidential documents prepared by CPG Consultants for the Ministry of Home Affair’s Home Team Tactical Centre in Yap’s possession.
Investigations showed that these documents were given to Yap by Gerald Lim Lee Meng, vice-president of CPG Consultants.
On Aug 5, 2022, Yap and Edward were charged in court
Tan and Gerald were also charged and pleaded guilty, the former to corruption offences and the latter to an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
Tan was sentenced in December 2022 to three months and two weeks’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a penalty of $14,699.62 for corruption. Gerald was sentenced in April 2023 to a fine of $1,800 for breaching the Official Secrets Act.
Public perception
According to a biennial Public Perception Survey commissioned by CPIB, public perception of its national corruption control efforts has improved over the past three surveys.
CPIB engages an independent research company every two years to gauge public perception on corruption and the Bureau. The survey is conducted on a sample of approximately 1,000 individuals representative of the Singapore population profile.
In the 2022 survey, 96 per cent of respondents rated corruption control efforts in Singapore as good, very good or excellent, up from 94 per cent in 2020, 92 per cent in 2018, and 90 per cent in 2016.
Political determination to keep corruption under control, heavy punishment for corruption offences, and a zero-tolerance culture for corruption were cited as the three most important factors contributing to the low corruption rate in Singapore.
Of the survey respondents, 89 per cent felt that willingness of the public to report corruption was also critical to the fight against corruption.
“Central to the fight against corruption is a vigilant public that is prepared to do its part to uphold the value of incorruptibility,” said CPIB.
“CPIB is grateful to all members of the public who have come forward to the Bureau with information on any suspected wrongdoing, including anonymous reports. This enables CPIB to uncover and investigate offences with potentially far-reaching consequences if left unchecked.”
One such case involved NTUC FairPrice employees.
In 2020, CPIB received information from a member of the public alleging that Lim Kian Kok, a senior team leader of NTUC FairPrice at the time, had been purchasing significantly more fish from Ngow Chun Siong, an employee with Fish Vision Agro-tech, in return for Ngow paying for Lim’s entertainment expenses.
CPIB’s investigations found that Lim and his subordinate, See Hock Lam, obtained gratification amounting to about $523,000
The ill-gotten gains were split between Lim and See.
Both Lim and See pleaded guilty to their offences. Lim was sentenced to four years and five months’ jail, and ordered to pay a penalty of $289,843.10, while See was sentenced to three years and two months’ jail,
The conviction rate for CPIB cases in 2022 was 99 per cent, up from the 98 per cent and 97 per cent in 2021 and 2020 respectively.
The bureau also said it takes a tough stance against public officers who abuse their authority for self-gratification, citing its handling of the case of a police full-time national serviceman (NSF), which demonstrated the strong co-operation between CPIB and agencies within the public service to weed out errant officers.
In 2022, CPIB received information from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) alleging that Fahd Siddiqui, a police NSF deployed at Orchard Neighbourhood Police Centre, had misused his warrant card while off-duty in his attempt to corruptly obtain sexual services from three social escorts
“Prompt action by the SPF enabled CPIB to secure interviews with the social escorts involved before they left Singapore,” said the bureau, adding that this allowed it to quickly retrieve CCTV footage from two hotels before they were overwritten by new recordings.
Fahd was charged in court on Nov 24, 2022 for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and subsequently pleaded guilty to his offences. His sentencing is still pending.
Corruption prevention initiatives
CPIB said it continued to step up corruption prevention efforts and outreach work in 2022, working closely with various community stakeholders to co-create corruption prevention initiatives.
In 2023, the Anti-Corruption Partnership Network (ACPN) – established in 2018 to promote ownership of corruption prevention within the private sector – expanded its membership to 70 entities,
The bureau also worked with Nanyang Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic to co-create anti-corruption educational resources to champion important values such as honesty, fairness, and integrity in a fun and appealing way, including in the form of an animated series, which is part of an anti-corruption educational kit.
It is currently exploring partnerships with educators and preschools to disseminate the kit – which also includes other resources such as illustrated picture books and activities co-created with students from St Joseph’s Institution – to young children, teachers, and parents.
CPIB collaborated with Mediacorp’s Chinese News and Current Affairs Group on a Chinese documentary series to educate the public on the pitfalls of corruption and reinforce Singapore’s zero-tolerance approach in a four-part documentary series.
The series featured significant cases that CPIB had investigated over the years, as well as interviews with CPIB officers and commentators from related fields.
