CPIB officer facing 21 charges of fraud

FireIce SG

An assistant director from the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was charged in court on Wednesday for misappropriating at least $1.7 million from the anti-graft agency between 2008 and last year.

Edwin Yeo Seow Hiong, who faces 21 charges in total, told the court he does not intend to engage a defence lawyer but had asked if he could have some time to deal with "family problems" and to prepare his mitigation plea. The charges, he added, were served on him by the police Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) only on Tuesday.

Yeo, 39, is also accused of forgery and using the fruits of his crime to gamble. He remains in police custody pending a hearing on Friday to review the $500,000 bail set by the court for his release.

Prosecutors told the court that the $1.7 million covers the first eight charges Yeo faces, although about $67,000 has been recovered.

FireIce SG

On average, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) opens 39 cases involving public officers per year for investigation and these make up about one in five of all graft probes by the agency, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

"About two thirds of the investigations involving public officers led to prosecution or disciplinary proceedings," added DPM Teo in a statement released through the Prime Minister's Officer (PMO) on Wednesday. His comments come shortly after a CPIB officers was charged in court earlier in the day for misappropriating the bureau's funds.

He said a study of public officers investigated for corruption and other financial crimes by the police Commercial Affairs Department and CPIB over the last five years, concluded that cases involving such officers have "remained low and quite stable over the last five years".

"We will take strong measures to tighten up processes," added DPM Teo, who is also the Minister in charge of the Civil Service

did he use the word "only"??????

fudgester SG

You know that things have gotten screwed up....

..... when a top anti-corruption cop gets charged with corruption.

*shakes head sadly*

FireIce SG

yeah

oxymoron

how to trust the system

M-avenue SG

This guy quite fierce, $1.7 million!!! How did he do it for son long under the radar?..lol

Medicated Oil SG

The question should be how the rest of his colleagues be so complacent ??

Or are we expecting more ?

This is another case of high level fraud.

The previous case also involved a director from another ministry.

Coupled with the accounting discrepancies in the Ah Long's office, it is time for him to come clean and forward.

Please dun waste time electing useless panel and committee again as the last few committee did not yield any results.

He can start by sweeping the home of toothpick king from his office and he will find what other things that toothpick king cannot resist.

fudgester SG

I really have to ask: how many corruption cases was he directly involved in over the past four years while he was neck-deep in corrupt practices of his own?

ditzy SG

Makes CPIB another great middle age career choice.

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

Only 1 out of 5 graft probes by CPIB involve public officers: DPM Teo Chee Hean

Tat's 20%... ... ...

Only...? I think they are going to say it's honest mistake and ask us to move on...

FireIce SG

y he 39 yrs old look like 49 yrs................

lemon1974 SG

good.. now complete the cycle... . SCDF, SPF, CNB, CPIB... all under Home Team...

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

Oh ya, all under Home Team...

DPM heading MHA now right??? He must be either squeezing his balls now or staying calm and tell other ppl that it's only 20%...

oh wait, he did the 2nd

Tcsaaa SG

no wonder home team budget keep on increasing by leap n bound.. many talents to feeds abalones n entertains..

Tcsaaa SG

so, when is saf turn?

ditzy SG

There is nothing worth appropriating from the SAF.

charlize SG

Clean hawker centres is more important imho.