Couple who cheated Spring Singapore of $50,000 jailed
Two former Spring Singapore employees who cheated the statutory board of some $50,000 in grant money were jailed on Tuesday (6 June).
Former business capabilities manager Soh Hua Xiang, 30, and former finance manager I Shu Hui, 30, were sentenced to 15 months’ and 12 months’ jail respectively.
Both Soh and Shu Hui were slapped with some 200 charges each. Soh was convicted on 21 counts of cheating while Shu Hui was convicted on 20 counts of the same crime.
The pair, who were dating at the time the offences were committed, had last month (23 May) pleaded guilty to cheating Spring Singapore by submitting fraudulent claims for Innovation and Capability Vouchers (ICVs) from August to October 2015.
The ICV scheme is aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop their capabilities by giving them $5,000 grants.
The couple’s fraudulent submissions of ICVs were made under the guise of obtaining funds for Point-of-Sale (POS) systems. Soh would identify SMEs from heartland areas and use their names to obtain funds for the POS applications.
The couple’s scheme involved the use of fake e-mail addresses, forged quotations and Giro forms, and even a bank account for Soh to receive the monies. While Soh had left Spring Singapore by the time the crimes were committed, Shu Hui remained employed by the statutory board and helped to submit Soh’s applications.
In total, Soh submitted claims on behalf of 40 SMEs, while Shu Hui submitted 39. Shu Hui also approved 10 Giro disbursements of the ICV grants and processed the disbursements for her superiors’ approval.
In addition to the $50,000, the duo tried to cheat Spring Singapore of another $145,000.
‘Dream life’ conversation ‘not a confession’: defence
Seeking lighter sentences for his clients, the duo’s lawyer Che Wei Chin said that Soh had twice tried to arrange a meeting with his superior to confess his actions but this did not happen as his superior was busy.
Che had previously said that Soh’s crimes were “motivated by frustration” over being unable to convince his superior of the loopholes in the ICV application system.
Of Soh’s promise to Shu Hui to buy a condominium for the couple with the money gained, Che said it was merely a “dream life” that the two were hoping for which did not amount to a confession.
“This was said between a girlfriend and boyfriend, who are sharing dreams and hopes for a better future… [and] should not be taken as a confession,” said the lawyer.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Magdalene Huang pointed out that the couple had admitted to having monetary motivations in their statements. The DPP added that if Soh had wanted to prove the system’s flaws like he claimed, he need not have submitted 40 fraudulent applications.
“If he wanted to show them, he could have submitted one or two applications. (He) must be motivated by monetary gain,” said Huang.
District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan agreed with the prosecution on this point.
On the defence’s submission that Soh’s and Shu Hui’s acts should be taken as a single transaction, the judge disagreed, saying that each application should be regarded as “separate and distinct”. The DJ Shaiffudin added that Soh had a higher culpability in the case.
Both Soh and Shu Hui made a formal apology to the court after their sentences were meted out. For cheating, Soh and Shu Hui could have each been jailed up to 10 years and fined.
Other Singapore stories:
Man who mocked Traffic Police officer’s death charged with shoplifting
Man who criticised dead Traffic Police officer on Facebook arrested for shop theft
