Sammyboy RSS Feed
25-03-2015, 03:20 PM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
Today 2:35 PM http://sgtalk.org/mybb/images/mobile/posted_0.gif Post: #1 (http://sgtalk.org/mybb/Thread-ST-Engineering-s-director-s-graft-acquittal-overturned?pid=1024271#pid1024271) forum456 (http://sgtalk.org/mybb/User-forum456) http://sgtalk.org/mybb/images/buddy_online.gif (http://sgtalk.org/mybb/online.php)
Senior Member
Posts: 1,492
Reputation: 5 (http://sgtalk.org/mybb/reputation.php?uid=10627) http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/slw/...utm_medium=rss (http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/slw/headlinesnews/60008-ex-directors-graft-acquittal-overturned.html?utm_source=rss%20subscription&utm_medium=rss)
A FORMER business director of an ST Engineering subsidiary, sentenced to eight weeks' jail for corruption, was yesterday dealt a double whammy.
Mark Edward Tjong, 49, an American citizen who is a permanent resident here, was convicted last year on one count of corruption involving about $57,000 and cleared on a second count involving $30,000.
But the former director at ST Electronics (Info-Software Systems) (STE) now stands guilty on both counts - after the High Court dismissed his appeal against his conviction but allowed the prosecution's appeal against his acquittal.
Justice Tay Yong Kwang found that Tjong had received both sums of money from Mr Mujibur Rahman as a reward for facilitating the appointment of the Bangladeshi's company as an STE agent in Bangladesh.
The case has been adjourned to next Monday for sentencing arguments.
In 2005, Tjong, who oversaw the South Asian region, was introduced to Mr Mujibur, the managing director of a Bangladeshi firm that handled government contracts.
Following Tjong's recommendation to his superiors, Mr Mujibur was appointed in March 2006 as STE's agent to help secure a contract with the Bangladesh police.
STE successfully clinched the project to supply walkie talkies and set up a telecommunications network in May 2006, and paid $185,424.90 as an agent fee to Mr Mujibur.
The two men later met in Dhaka, where Mr Mujibur handed Tjong two blank cheques.
Tjong filled in the amounts - $57,386.67 and $30,000 - and deposited the cheques into the bank account of his then girlfriend, Ms Ho Su Ling, who is now his wife. The funds were later withdrawn.
Tjong's lawyer, Mr Shashi Nathan, had argued that his client did not favour Mr Mujibur and that there was no prior discussion or agreement between them about any reward during the appointment process.
But Justice Tay concluded from the evidence that Tjong did contemplate a reward when he recommended Mr Mujibur to his superiors.
He said that as STE's only presence in Bangladesh, Tjong must have known the influence he held. And Tjong's extensive help to Mr Mujibur indicated he had a special interest in the latter winning the tender.
Tjong also knew that profit-sharing was a common business practice in Bangladesh. And since Mr Mujibur would get nothing if the deal fell through, it was natural that discussions on profit-sharing take place only after the project is clinched, said the judge.
Justice Tay was also not persuaded by Tjong's explanation that the two sums of money he received were not intended to be a reward for himself.
Tjong said the first sum was for travel and training expenses for 10 Bangladeshi police officers, while he took the second sum to run errands for Mr Mujibur, namely, to remit money to his son in London and to bring him vitamins, car parts and whisky.
While the district judge felt that Tjong's explanation for the second sum raised a reasonable doubt, Justice Tay rejected both claims as untenable.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?203478-ST-Engineering-s-director-s-graft-acquittal-overturned&goto=newpost).
Today 2:35 PM http://sgtalk.org/mybb/images/mobile/posted_0.gif Post: #1 (http://sgtalk.org/mybb/Thread-ST-Engineering-s-director-s-graft-acquittal-overturned?pid=1024271#pid1024271) forum456 (http://sgtalk.org/mybb/User-forum456) http://sgtalk.org/mybb/images/buddy_online.gif (http://sgtalk.org/mybb/online.php)
Senior Member
Posts: 1,492
Reputation: 5 (http://sgtalk.org/mybb/reputation.php?uid=10627) http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/slw/...utm_medium=rss (http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/slw/headlinesnews/60008-ex-directors-graft-acquittal-overturned.html?utm_source=rss%20subscription&utm_medium=rss)
A FORMER business director of an ST Engineering subsidiary, sentenced to eight weeks' jail for corruption, was yesterday dealt a double whammy.
Mark Edward Tjong, 49, an American citizen who is a permanent resident here, was convicted last year on one count of corruption involving about $57,000 and cleared on a second count involving $30,000.
But the former director at ST Electronics (Info-Software Systems) (STE) now stands guilty on both counts - after the High Court dismissed his appeal against his conviction but allowed the prosecution's appeal against his acquittal.
Justice Tay Yong Kwang found that Tjong had received both sums of money from Mr Mujibur Rahman as a reward for facilitating the appointment of the Bangladeshi's company as an STE agent in Bangladesh.
The case has been adjourned to next Monday for sentencing arguments.
In 2005, Tjong, who oversaw the South Asian region, was introduced to Mr Mujibur, the managing director of a Bangladeshi firm that handled government contracts.
Following Tjong's recommendation to his superiors, Mr Mujibur was appointed in March 2006 as STE's agent to help secure a contract with the Bangladesh police.
STE successfully clinched the project to supply walkie talkies and set up a telecommunications network in May 2006, and paid $185,424.90 as an agent fee to Mr Mujibur.
The two men later met in Dhaka, where Mr Mujibur handed Tjong two blank cheques.
Tjong filled in the amounts - $57,386.67 and $30,000 - and deposited the cheques into the bank account of his then girlfriend, Ms Ho Su Ling, who is now his wife. The funds were later withdrawn.
Tjong's lawyer, Mr Shashi Nathan, had argued that his client did not favour Mr Mujibur and that there was no prior discussion or agreement between them about any reward during the appointment process.
But Justice Tay concluded from the evidence that Tjong did contemplate a reward when he recommended Mr Mujibur to his superiors.
He said that as STE's only presence in Bangladesh, Tjong must have known the influence he held. And Tjong's extensive help to Mr Mujibur indicated he had a special interest in the latter winning the tender.
Tjong also knew that profit-sharing was a common business practice in Bangladesh. And since Mr Mujibur would get nothing if the deal fell through, it was natural that discussions on profit-sharing take place only after the project is clinched, said the judge.
Justice Tay was also not persuaded by Tjong's explanation that the two sums of money he received were not intended to be a reward for himself.
Tjong said the first sum was for travel and training expenses for 10 Bangladeshi police officers, while he took the second sum to run errands for Mr Mujibur, namely, to remit money to his son in London and to bring him vitamins, car parts and whisky.
While the district judge felt that Tjong's explanation for the second sum raised a reasonable doubt, Justice Tay rejected both claims as untenable.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?203478-ST-Engineering-s-director-s-graft-acquittal-overturned&goto=newpost).