Duo plead guilty in Ang Mo Kio Town Council corruption case
Wong Chee Meng, a former general manager and secretary of Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC), pleaded guilty to corruption charges on Monday (25 March).
The 59-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving bribes of more than $75,000 in the form of entertainment expenses, a discount on a purchase of a car and remittances to his mistress in China.
His co-conspirator Omar Chia Sin Lan, 63, also pleaded guilty to his charges of giving bribes in order to advance the business interests of his two companies. Chia also pleaded guilty to one charge each on behalf of his two companies for giving bribes to Wong.
Two charges of a similar nature, involving Chia finding employment for Wong’s daughter-in-law as well as the use of a free mobile phone line and free phone, will be taken into consideration for their sentencing.
For over two years, Wong took the kickbacks from Chia, a director and major shareholder of two firms that were carrying out works for town councils.
Chia’s two companies, 19-ANC Enterprise and 19-NS2 Enterprise, were awarded tenders and contracts by AMKTC worth millions of dollars during the time that Wong accepted the bribes.
The duo originally faced 55 counts of graft each but had their charges amalgamated. The offences, committed between December 2014 and September 2016, involved a total of $86,141.49.
Both Wong and Chia had originally claimed trial to their charges but Wong threw in the towel on 5 March at the start of the third tranche of his trial. Chia followed suit shortly after.
The pair are expected to be sentenced on Friday.
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