SINGAPORE: Former National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chairman
Richard Yong has been sentenced to 15 months' jail.
The sentence will be backdated to 4 August 2007, which was the date
he was slapped with ten charges for various alleged offences.
Yong had pleaded guilty to only three of those charges one under
the Penal Code, another two under the Bankruptcy Act.
In passing the sentence, the judge said Yong had made an illegal
flight from Singapore to Malaysia, so he had undermined the
bankruptcy law in Singapore by his action.
The judge added that "the sentence should reflect the gravity of
offences to deter other like-minded" people.
Yong's lawyer Jeffrey Beh said Yong was surprised with the sentence
as he had expected to get less than six months' jail. Mr Beh said
he would discuss with Yong whether he plans to appeal.
His client had been ordered to cough up nearly S$1 million in legal
costs and damages to NKF. When he failed to do so, Yong was
declared a bankrupt in May.
But Yong sold several properties in Singapore and even transferred
money to his wife's bank account believed to amount to several
million dollars.
Yong did not reveal the proceeds of the sales or any of the money
he had to authorities as required of bankrupts under the law.
And on 17 May, Yong left Singapore for Malaysia without official
permission and eventually ended up in Hong Kong.
He was nabbed in Hong Kong on 4 July and was finally brought back
to Singapore a month later.
According to his lawyer, Yong was depressed when he left Singapore
and had sought treatment in Hong Kong.
- CNA/so
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/300550/1/.html
