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Corruption in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
is generally perceived as one of the lowest in the world. Cases are mostly handled by the Singapore
Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) is a government agency in Singapore under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The CPIB has the mandate to investigate into any acts or forms of corruption in the public and private sectors in Sing ...
(CPIB), a government agency in Singapore that investigates and prosecutes corruption in the public and private sectors. According to a
Transparency International Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil ...
survey, an overwhelming majority of people in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
do not hear cases of
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
by
public officials An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...
or
institutions Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...
through media in their lifetime. In 2020, Singapore's public sector was ranked as the fourth least corrupt in the world and the most transparent in Asia.


Overview

Transparency International Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil ...
's 2021
Corruption Perceptions Index The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index which ranks countries "by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys." The CPI generally defines corruption as an "abuse of entru ...
ranks the country in 4th place out of 180 countries, where a low number corresponds to a perception of little corruption in the country's public sector. According to the ''"Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index"'' the highest corruption risk area is ''"Operations"'' followed by ''"Finance"''. Business executives surveyed in the
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
's 2014–2015
Global Competitiveness Report The ''Global Competitiveness Report'' (GCR) is a yearly report published by the World Economic Forum. Since 2004, the ''Global Competitiveness Report'' ranks countries based on the Global Competitiveness Index, developed by Xavier Sala-i-Martin an ...
reported no problems doing business in Singapore. The political reasoning behind why Singaporean corruption is generally immensely low is due to the fact that compared to neighboring nations such as Thailand and Malaysia, a theory that the powers of the state were able to pressure private interests into funneling capital into sectors that would ultimately benefit the public in the long term.


Indicators of corruption


Case studies


Notable case studies

There are case studies in both public and private sectors.


SLA (2011)

Former
Singapore Land Authority The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Law of the Government of Singapore. SLA optimises land resources for Singapore's social and economic development. History The SLA was formed on 1 June 2001 when th ...
(SLA) deputy director of technology and infrastructure, Koh Seah Wee, and former SLA manager, Christopher Lim Chai Meng, were sentenced to jail by the High Court on cheating and money laundering charges. Koh was sentenced to 22 years of jail after admitting to 59 charges and Lim was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment after admitting to 49 charges. Of the $12.2 million laundered, $7.5 million was recovered from Koh. Koh and Lim cheated SLA by using false invoices issued by ex-swim coach Ho Yen Teck who set up seven sole proprietorships to provide fake IT maintenance services and goods that were not delivered. Ho was jailed for 10 years for the conspiracy.


SCDF and CNB (2012)

In January 2012, two senior civil servants were arrested under graft charges. Former head of the
Singapore Civil Defence Force The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is an uniformed organisation in Singapore under the Ministry of Home Affairs that provides emergency services such as firefighting, technical rescue, and emergency medical services, and coordinates nati ...
(SCDF), Peter Lim Sin Pang, was arrested on 19 December 2011, while
Central Narcotics Bureau The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the primary drug enforcement agency in Singapore. CNB is responsible for coordinating all matters pertaining to drug eradication. Its current direct ...
(CNB) chief, Ng Boon Gay, was taken in for questioning on 4 January 2012. Both men were arrested in connection with the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to an IT contract, and in late January 2012, it was announced that both men are also facing disciplinary action by the Public Service Commission, which oversees the conduct of civil servants. After being interdicted, a step only taken when an individual “faces serious offences for which 'criminal proceedings or proceedings for his dismissal or reduction in rank are being contemplated'”, the case provoked comment from Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...
who promised to punish both men if they are guilty of misconduct. The CPIB's silence on this investigation came under the scrutiny of a number of MPs during a parliamentary sitting in February 2012. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs,
Teo Chee Hean Teo Chee Hean ( zh, s=张志贤, poj=Tiuⁿ Chì-hiân, p=Zhāng Zhìxián; born 27 December 1954) is a Singaporean politician and former two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Senior Minister of Singapore since 2019 and Coordinating Min ...
then defended the CPIB, stating that any announcement on the outcome of the probe would have been premature and may have compromised the investigation. He also assured concerned MPs that all the findings of the investigation would be publicly reported once they had been finalised. Peter Lim Sin Pang was dismissed from service in August 2013 after the court verdict and found guilty, whereas Ng Gay took an early retirement after the court verdict is a discharge amounting to an acquittal.


NParks (2012)

In July 2012,
National Parks Board The National Parks Board (NParks) is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. History In November 1989, Minister of National Development, S. Dhanabalan, presented the National Parks Bil ...
's (NParks) purchase of 26 Brompton bikes costing $2,200 each sparked a nationwide uproar after it was revealed by a whistleblower on online forum
HardwareZone HardwareZone is an information technology, IT-oriented Internet portal based in Singapore. It is operated by Hardware Zone Private Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of SPH Media Trust. Some features of the portal are: IT price lists for ...
of possible corruption due numerous red flags in the way the procurement was done. Khaw, who initially defended NPark's purchase of the high-end foldable bikes, was criticised for handling the saga poorly. Subsequent investigation by the
Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) is a government agency in Singapore under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The CPIB has the mandate to investigate into any acts or forms of corruption in the public and private sectors in Sing ...
(CPIB) resulted in National Parks Board assistant director Bernard Lim Yong Soon's dismissal and being fined $5,000 for lying to auditors about his relationship with the bicycle firm which was awarded the tender.


CPIB (2013)

On 23 July 2013, CPIB assistant director Edwin Yeo Seow Hiong was charged with misappropriating at least $1.7 million from the anti-graft agency between 2008 and 2012. Yeo was interdicted from his position as head of field research and technical support at CPIB to assist in a Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) probe into his suspected financial impropriety. Eight of the charges were for misappropriating funds and
criminal breach of trust In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
, one was for forgery and the rest were in using part of his ill-gotten gains to gamble at the
Marina Bay Sands Marina Bay Sands (abbreviation: MBS) is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. The resort is owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and at its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino prop ...
(MBS) casino. On 20 February 2014, Yeo was sentenced to 10 years jail.


MFA (2014)

On 20 February 2014, former Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) protocol chief Lim Cheng Hoe, 61, was sentenced to 15 months' jail for cheating. From February 2008 to May 2012, Lim made false claims for $89,000 worth of pineapple tarts and wine as gifts for foreign diplomats.


Ang Mo Kio Town Council (2016)

General manager and secretary of
Ang Mo Kio Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East of Singapore. Located approximately north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East Region and ranks 8th ...
Town Council (AMKTC), Victor Wong Chee Meng, was removed from his position and placed under investigation by CPIB, after a complaint was lodged in September 2016 over "the way he handles contracts and dealings in the town council". Wong, a Public Service Medal recipient, was concurrently an employee of CPG Facilities Management, which is the appointed managing agent of the town council. On 14 March 2018, Wong is charged with 55 counts of corruption offence for receiving some $107,000 in bribes from Chia Sin Lan and Yip Fong Yin, directors of two building and repair companies. Wong and Chia pleaded guilty halfway through the trail and were sentenced to 27 months and 21 months respectively. Both of them appealed and had their sentences increased to 39 months and 33 months respectively.


Keppel Corporation (2017)

According to US prosecutors, Keppel’s offshore and marine arm, Keppel O&M, agreed to pay a US$422 million settlement to avoid a criminal trial for bribing Brazilian officials. Court documents released by the US justice department revealed that Keppel O&M paid US$55 million in bribes between 2001 and 2014, to win 13 contracts with
Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a state owned enterprise, state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company's name transla ...
and Sete Brasil – two Brazilian oil companies deeply mired in the country's wide-ranging
Operation Car Wash Operation Car Wash ( pt, Operação Lava Jato) was a criminal investigation by the Federal Police of Brazil's Curitiba branch. It began in March 2014 and was initially headed by investigative judge in France, but unlike judges in the common law ...
graft scandal. Keppel Corporation is one of the
Government-Linked Companies A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...
(GLCs) under
Temasek Holdings Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited, or simply Temasek, is a Singaporean state holding company owned by the Government of Singapore. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek owns and manages a total of US$496.59 billion (S$671 billion) in assets u ...
. It is currently the biggest corruption case involving a GLC in Singapore's history.


Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) (2018)

Rajkumar Padmanathan, 49, was jailed 25 months and six weeks on 27 July 2018 for 28 counts of corruption, cheating and breaching the Official Secrets Act while working at Tengah Air Base and Sembawang Air Base. He leaked tender quotations in order to secure contracts for companies set up by his wife, Jayashree, friend, Jeevan Arumugam, and acquaintance, Kamal Kishore. The total value of contracts awarded to GAS, EFAS, Duratech and GTW set up for the scam was $1,817,379.87 over the period from 2008 to 2014.


See also

*
Crime in Singapore Crime rates in Singapore are some of the lowest in the world, with petty crimes such as pickpocketing and street theft rarely occurring, and violent crime being extremely rare. Penalties for drug offences such as trafficking in Singapore are se ...


Notes


References

{{Asia in topic, Corruption in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...