Former Facilities Manager Jailed for S$67,000 Bribery Scheme

A former facilities manager at St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) in Singapore has been sentenced to 15 months and four weeks in prison for accepting bribes totaling at least S$67,000 (approximately US$51,600) from vendors involved in school projects. Ng Cher Him, 58, pleaded guilty to four charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with an additional five charges considered during sentencing. In addition to his prison term, Ng was ordered to pay a penalty of S$7,500, with the possibility of serving an additional four weeks in jail if he fails to meet that obligation.

Ng’s misconduct spanned more than four years, from 2018 to 2022. According to court documents, he instructed vendors to inflate their quotations submitted to SJI, with the excess intended as bribes for himself. His position as facilities manager granted him significant influence over the procurement of goods and services related to SJI’s facilities. He managed a team of six employees and was responsible for the maintenance and improvement of the institution’s facilities.

As part of his role, Ng was able to directly award jobs for projects valued below S$6,000 and was involved in recommending tenders for larger projects. The prosecution stated that Ng’s actions led to inflated costs for the school as he manipulated the procurement process. He would often share the budget for jobs with vendors, disclose competitor bids, or provide guidance on how to tailor quotations to meet SJI’s specifications.

To maintain secrecy and avoid detection, Ng insisted that vendors pay him in cash, thereby eliminating any paper trails. Over the span of his scheme, he received bribes from three different vendors on at least 31 occasions. Those vendors, identified as Renee Song Mui Kuan, Ooi Kim Wei, and Margaret Chin Lee Lan, have also been charged in connection with the case, which remains pending.

Song, 53, was a sales manager at FB Services, a company later acquired by Furnishing & Building Services. She testified that Ng had approached her in 2018 to discuss bribes, and she acquiesced, fearing that he would cease awarding her company projects. Ooi, 48, who served as a director at EuconAir Services, began offering Ng money in 2020 for project opportunities at SJI. He secured a project related to upgrading kitchen hood exhaust systems after Ng suggested a marked-up quotation.

Chin, 71, managed sales and operations at Integrated Security Solution Asia Pacific. In 2019, Ng invited her to submit a quotation for the installation of closed-circuit television in the school library. He instructed her to obtain additional higher-priced quotations from other companies to ensure the scheme’s success.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau initiated an investigation into Ng’s activities after receiving information about his corrupt conduct on September 30, 2022. Ng voluntarily resigned from SJI on November 2, 2023, and later claimed that his criminal actions were driven by financial pressures, including mounting personal debts and family expenses. In an effort to make amends, he surrendered S$59,600 to the state in September 2023.

Under Singaporean law, individuals convicted of corruption can face fines of up to S$100,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both. Ng’s case highlights the ongoing challenges of corruption within public institutions and the importance of maintaining integrity in procurement processes.