Sex, lies and millions in 'Scandal-pore'

Clivebenss SG

by Sadat Osman
inSing.com - 30 June 2012 9:00 AM | Updated 12:46 PM

2012 may be Singapore’s most scandal-ridden year yet, barely halfway through it and already five high profile scandals have pulled at the moral fabric of our once squeaky-clean nation.

Acts, we can only assume (and allegedly) committed in the name of achieving happiness, prosperity and progress, here’s a look at the first – and hopefully, only – five scandals of 2012.

1. Online Vice Ring

Men will be men, and sex with a beautiful young woman is arguably hard to pass up.

Aptly named as the biggest sex scandal to ever run wild in Singapore, the online vice ring involved 48 men who allegedly had paid sex with an underage prostitute after engaging her services online.

Three big names popped up in this sexual foray: Lee Lip Hong, former principal of Pei Chun Public School, Howard Shaw, former Singapore Environment Council head and Chua Ren Cheng, former teacher at River Valley High School.

Note, the men were not busted for paying for fornicating – prostitution is legal but zoned in Singapore – but for paying a girl under the age of 18 for sex.

Lee was sentenced and served a six-week jail term, Shaw recently pleaded guilty but asked for a sentence without jail time.

What can we deduce from this scandal? Ascertain any young woman’s age before penetration just as you would check the expiry date on can of tinned food collecting dust on the shelf.

Read more about this scandal here

2. Ex-Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Chief

Sex seems to the number one reason for men to stray from their morals.

The former SCDF chief, Peter Lim, was another alleged guilty party, involved in procuring contracts from vendors. He apparently used the power of his authority to show favour to three particular women and in return, received sexual attention from them.

Mr Lim allegedly obtained oral gratification from one Pang Chor Mui at a car park at Stadium Walk, among other romps. Another woman, Esther Goh, reportedly gave the ex-SCDF chief sexual gratification on seven separate occasions, and Lee Wei Hoon and him allegedly got busy in the city of love, Paris.

So, even the high-ranking officers in our government can, and have, the ability to deviate from what they were taught in training: integrity.

The trials are ongoing.

Read more about this scandal here

3. Ex-Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) Chief

In his industrious endeavour to alleviate the drug problem in Singapore, Ng Boon Gay allegedly fell prey to the allure of sex.

He has since denied all accusations of having obtained sexual gratification from Ms Cecilia Sue Siew Nang in exchange for furthering business interests.

Ms Sue is a sales manager with Oracle Corporation Singapore and formerly Hitachi Data Systems.

Although he has been charged with four counts of corruption, Ng remains resilient in the fight for his innocence and recently said that there isn’t enough information for the trial to proceed.

This chief reminds us all that we shouldn’t be too fast to judge especially when details are fully known. But yes, one is always innocent until proven guilty.

Another unusual fact: His wife, much like Howard Shaw’s wife, Jessie Xue, are standing by their men - despite such compelling allegations of adultery. Talk about luck.

Read more about this scandal here

4. Former Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Vice-president

Another Peter (Khoo) has been singled out in his attempt to be above the law.

Slapped with a total of ten charges, two charges for criminally breaching trust as a servant and eight others.
This ‘honest’ man admitted to receiving illegal payments and shopping vouchers while he was in charge of SPH’s Editorial Projects Unit when the vouchers were meant for branding and promotional purposes for the Straits Times.

To Khoo’s benefit, he’s been making up for his errs. To date, he has returned a sum of about $196,500.

Read more about this scandal here

5. City Harvest Church

Singapore finally sees the light.

City Harvest Church (CHC) founder Pastor Kong Hee and his ‘jing-gang’ were rounded by the Commercial Affairs Department for allegedly swindling money from the church’s building fund.

The two-year long investigations initially revealed that the sum of money involved was about $23 million. Then, it was reported to be $50 million.

While all accusations have been denied by CHC and investigations are ongoing; the real juice driving this scandal? Look to the people and their reactions.

However this case turns out, either way, somebody is in mega trouble.

charlize SG

Better come out now than 3-4 years later.

No_10_Tomas SG

i bet their punishment is even lighter than CSJ or other political detainees

Clivebenss SG

Sin city.

troublemaker2005 SG

i got millions of sperm cells.

charlize SG

i got millions of sperm cells.

Stressed because of male syrup?

mancha SG

Big fish, big story.

Kang hu who cares.

Gasak $800 lost and found, no sensation.

charlize SG

Big fish, big story.

Kang hu who cares.

Gasak $800 lost and found, no sensation.

Hur?

mancha SG

Special constable's jail term for misappropriating money increased after appeal

SINGAPORE - A police national serviceman who misappropriated money entrusted to him faces more jail time after the Chief Justice allowed an appeal by the Public Prosecutor.

Amir Hamzah Mohammad, 24, who was serving his NS as a special constable attached to the Found and Unclaimed Property Office (FUPO), was jailed six weeks by a district court for criminal breach of trust as a public servant. Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong increased the jail term to six months yesterday, as he agreed with the prosecution that the sentence "was too lenient".

Amir's duties included driving the FUPO van to collect found property turned in at police divisions and to take them back to the unit.

At the time of the offence, FUPO had an existing backlog of property waiting to be registered and processed. Hence, supervisors stopped checking against the collection lists of items that drivers handed in from their collection rounds, according to court documents.

On Sept 21, 2010, Amir collected 32 polymer bags from Clementi Police Division Headquarters, including one which contained cash. When he returned to his base, he brought all the found property except one containing the cash, which he hid in the van. A few days later, he retrieved the bag from the van and misappropriated S$893.75.

He used part of the money to pay for his car insurance.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Leong Wing Tuck argued that Amir was able to commit the offence only because of the access given to him as a police officer.

While the public is entitled to expect law enforcement officers to carry out their duties "with integrity and honesty", DPP Leong said "the zero-tolerance approach" to law enforcement officers committing offences while on duty must continue.

Allowing the appeal, CJ Chan agreed Amir "took advantage of the situation". Despite Amir's plea for leniency, he noted the accused had shown "no remorse".

Amir was convicted after a trial which spanned 18 days.

Quite difficult to find this story.