Jail for ex-official of SMU Academy who took over $472k in bribes

A former associate director of business development at Singapore Management University (SMU) Academy who accepted bribes totalling more than $472,000 was sentenced to three years and six months in jail on July 22.

Christopher Tan Toh Nghee, 46, was also ordered to pay a penalty of $90,552 and will have to spend an additional three months behind bars if he fails to pay the amount.

On July 1, Tan, who had worked in the training arm of the university, pleaded guilty to 16 charges, including multiple counts of graft. Thirty-six other charges were considered during sentencing.

He had accepted the bribes from three men – Kenneth Lum Hsien Loong, Jeffery Long Chee Kin and Cher Kheng Than – who were then directors of different firms.

At the time of the offences, Cher was the sole shareholder and director of marketing services firm CJ Synergy (CJS). Long was the managing director of a similar company called Assetualize (AST).

Cher, then 46, was sentenced to a year in jail on Feb 20 and Long, then 45, was sentenced to 13 months in jail in September 2023.

Lum, 47, was then the director of International Alliance Marketing (IAM), which dealt in electronic products. His case is pending.

At the time of the offences, Tan was a business development associate director at SMU Academy’s service operations and business improvement sub-department. His job scope included overseeing revenue, sales and programme management for the sub-department. The sub-department also engaged partners to assist in marketing its courses.

In or around late 2018, Tan asked Long if he was interested in becoming a marketing partner to promote courses for SMU Academy. Long agreed, and a service agreement was executed between SMU and AST on Jan 1, 2019. Long later successfully referred two applicants for enrolment in SMU Academy.

In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Phua said some time in or around February 2019, Tan informed Long that he wanted $600 for each enrolment.

The DPP added: “(Tan) wanted a cut of the commissions AST received from SMU Academy. (Long) understood that he had to give Tan a portion of AST’s earnings in order to advance the business interests of AST with SMU Academy.”

In total, Tan corruptly accepted gratification totalling $71,300 from Long.

Separately, in December 2018, Tan suggested that Cher help him at SMU to develop a course called Advanced Certificate in Entrepreneurship. Tan added that Cher could work for SMU Academy as a marketing partner under a commission-based structure.

In January 2019, Cher set up CJS for the sole purpose of working with SMU to provide marketing services. Before starting work for SMU, Cher had a discussion with people including Tan and Long.

The prosecutor said Cher found out that Tan was receiving a one-third cut of the commissions of another SMU Academy marketing partner. Cher then decided to give the bribes to secure the opportunity to be a marketing partner.

Tan corruptly accepted gratification totalling $62,800 from Cher.

The court heard that Tan got to know Lum through a mutual friend in 2016. Lum later contacted Tan to try to market IAM’s services to him, asking if SMU needed items such as audiovisual equipment to be built or installed.

In November 2016, Tan engaged IAM on behalf of the university to build a board that could be used for video production.

Over multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019, Tan accepted cash from Lum in exchange for favouring IAM and ensuring it could continue doing business with SMU. He accepted bribes totalling nearly $338,000 from Lum.

The court heard on July 22 that Tan has made $381,000 in restitution.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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