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Forklift operators in S’pore charged for bribery!!! On Dec. 11, two forklift operators in Singapore were charged for allegedly receiving small value bribes from truck drivers. The forklift operators, Chen Ziliang and Zhao Yucun, are Chinese nationals employed by Cogent Container Depot Pte Ltd. According to a press release by the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB), both of them allegedly obtained bribes in exchange for not delaying the collection of containers. Chen was charged for attempting to obtain a S$1 bribe from a truck driver on Oct. 20, 2017, as well as receiving bribes from other truck drivers between May 2016 and March 2018. Chen’s counterpart, Zhao, was charged for obtaining similar bribes from truck drivers between September 2014 and March 2018. A Straits Times report mentioned that both Chinese nationals were each offered bail of S$5,000 and will be back in court on Jan. 9 next year. “Zero-tolerance approach” to corruptionThe total amount received from bribes was not stated by CPIB. However, CPIB emphasised that Singapore adopts a “zero-tolerance approach” towards corruption, and “bribes of any amount or kind will not be tolerated”: “Employees are expected to carry out their duties fairly instead of obtaining bribes in exchange for favours. Even if the bribe amount is as low as $1, they can be taken to task. Bribes of any amount or any kind will not be tolerated.” Under the Prevention of Corruption Act, any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to S$100,000 or sentenced to imprisonment of up to five years or to both.

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/technology/infosys-investigates-alleged-unethical-practices-by-top-officials INFOSYS Ltd said it was investigating whistleblower claims accusing its top two executives of "unethical practices" to boost short-term profit, sending its shares to their worst intraday fall in over six years. The allegations were part of a letter dated Sept 20, seen by Reuters, which said chief executive officer Salil Parekh and chief financial officer Nilanjan Roy engaged in forced revenue recognition from large contracts and did not adhere to accounting standards. Chairman Nandan Nilekani said in a statement on Tuesday that India's No2 software services exporter placed the complaints before the audit committee on Oct 10, and before the non-executive members of the board on Oct 11. **** Looks like financial irregularities will result in a slap on the wrist and a small fine. No one ever goes to jail for this if agree to settle most times. Bengaluru: Former Cognizant COO Sridhar Thiruvengadam has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $50,000 following a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) order, which found that four company executives, including the former, authorised a bribe payment in a video-conference, which violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The case relates to Cognizant’s 2.7-million-sqft KITS campus on Old Mahabalipuram Road in Chennai that planned to employ 17,500 people. A senior government official of Tamil Nadu demanded a $2-million bribe from the construction firm responsible for the campus. The bribery exposed Cognizant to civil and criminal liability with the company paying $25 million in penalties as well as incurring $79 million more in costs related to its internal investigation. The SEC order said Thiruvengadam devised a scheme to cover it up in the company’s books. Thiruvengadam was Cognizant’s COO from late 2013 until he was placed on administrative leave in late 2016. Cognizant accepted Thiruvengadam’s resignation last year. The SEC order states that Thiruvengadam later helped to conceal the payment by signing false sub-certifications. It found that Thiruvengadam violated the FCPA’s internal accounting controls and record-keeping provisions. “Without admitting or denying the findings, Thiruvengadam agreed to pay a civil penalty of $50,000,” the order said. A lawsuit filed by a group of investors on July 27 had put the spotlight on two of its former top executives — former president Gordon Coburn and former chief legal officer Steven E Schwartz. Coburn and Schwartz channelled payments to L&T, the construction company responsible for the KITS campus. The lawsuit alleged that to disguise Cognizant’s repayment to L&T of the bribes the latter paid to government officials, Schwartz and Coburn agreed that L&T would submit many fraudulent change order requests at the end of the project totalling $2 million. TOI has seen a copy of the order that said Cognizant engaged the contracting firm to build the facility and obtain all necessary government permits.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/cognizant-to-pay-25-million-to-settle-bribery-claims-11550252878 Time to look at our backyard for outsource contractors Two former executives of outsourcing-operations company Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. were charged by U.S. authorities with foreign bribery for allegedly approving illicit payments to help build a corporate campus in India. The Teaneck, N.J.-based company also agreed to pay $25 million to settle with U.S. authorities. Gordon Coburn, the company’s former president, and Steven Schwartz, its former chief legal officer, authorized a $2 million bribe to at least one government official in India to secure permits necessary for the construction of an office campus there to support roughly 17,000 employees, prosecutors said. “Bribery to further corporate goals is an illusory path to long-term success,” said Charles E. Cain, chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s antiforeign-bribery unit. Cognizant has more than 250,000 employees globally, more than half of whom work in various locations in India . Cognizant helps companies outsource their information technology and other business processes. Earlier this month, the company reported revenue of $16 billion in 2018, up 8.9% from the year prior. To conceal Cognizant’s role in the bribery scheme, Messrs. Coburn and Schwartz, and others, agreed to use a construction company to secure the permit, prosecutors said. The construction company would pay the bribe, and Cognizant would later reimburse the firm through disguised cost overruns on the project, located in Chennai, India, prosecutors said. The construction company received the permit in late June 2014; between March 2015 and January 2016 Cognizant issued several payments to the construction company, including a reimbursement for the bribe and related expenses, according to prosecutors. “The allegations…describe a sophisticated international bribery scheme authorized and concealed by C-suite executives of a publicly traded multinational company,” said Brian A. Benczkowski, an assistant attorney general, in a statement. Hank Walther, an attorney for Mr. Coburn, said he was disappointed that U.S. authorities chose to pursue the allegations. “Mr. Coburn intends to vigorously fight all charges,” he said. Roberto Finzi, a lawyer for Mr. Schwartz, said his client was innocent and did nothing wrong. “He will fight these false and unfair charges,” he said. Messrs. Coburn and Schwartz were charged in a 12-count indictment returned Thursday by a federal grand jury in New Jersey, prosecutors said. They were charged with three counts of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as seven counts of falsifying books and records, a count of circumventing accounting controls and a conspiracy count. The FCPA, which is jointly enforced by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, prohibits the use of bribes to government officials to get or keep business. The two men were also sued in a civil complaint by the SEC, which seeks permanent injunctions, monetary penalties and officer-and-director bans against them. Prosecutors on Friday also announced that they declined to prosecute the company, citing Cognizant’s self-disclosure of the allegations, as well as its cooperation and remediation. Cognizant agreed to pay $19 million in disgorgement and a $6 million civil penalty to the SEC to resolve the agency’s claims. Cognizant said it was pleased to resolve the case, citing its voluntary self-disclosure, internal investigation and cooperation. “It is important to note that this entire matter did not involve our work with clients or affect our ability to provide the quality services our clients expect from us,” said Francisco D’Souza, the company’s vice chairman and CEO, in a statement.

A Singaporean businessman led police on a 20km car chase when he tried to flee after failing to bribe them on Sunday. In the 11.30pm incident, the 50-year old suspect, driving a Mercedes Benz, was headed to Singapore when he tried to cut the vehicle queue at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex (CIQ), obstructing other vehicles in the process. Two police traffic officers on duty at the CIQ complex then tried to take him to the nearest police station. However, the man then got agitated and refused to cooperate, and offered a RM550 (S$213) bribe to Lance Corporal Awang Mohd Massahdi Awang Abunawas and Lance Corporal Mashri Sedek, said the officers. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...bribe-attempt-2

Hur..... Death Sentence for Corruption .... I think too harsh leow ..... Just strip him off all his properties and make him a begger.... China ex-rail minister gets suspended death for bribery BEIJING: A Chinese court Monday gave former railways minister Liu Zhijun a suspended death sentence, the highest-ranking official to be punished for corruption since new leaders took office vowing to clean up the ruling Communist Party. Once hailed as the "father" of China's flagship high-speed rail network, Liu, 60, was convicted of bribery and abuse of power by a court in Beijing, the official Xinhua news agency said. State television showed the diminutive, bespectacled defendant standing impassively in the dock in a dark jacket, flanked by two police. Liu was sacked as railways minister in 2011 after eight years in the post, and the scandal surrounding him is reported to have involved as much as 800 million yuan (US$130 million). He was charged and convicted of accepting 64.6 million yuan in bribes to help 11 people secure contracts and promotions, Xinhua said, adding that he "took advantage of his positions" and "inflicted colossal losses in the public assets, violating rights and interests of the state and the people". "Liu Zhijun was sentenced to the death penalty with two years' suspension," a court official told AFP by phone. Under Chinese law the death penalty can be imposed for taking bribes exceeding 100,000 yuan. Suspended death sentences are normally commuted to life imprisonment. The court also ordered all of Liu's personal property to be confiscated and issued a separate sentence of 10 years in prison for abuse of power, Xinhua said. link: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapa...ter/737172.html

Formula One mogul Bernie Ecclestone faces losing control of the racing sport, and the prospect of jail, following reports he has been charged with bribery by German prosecutors. Despite allegations, Ecclestone remains calms over the financial offencesThe charge, and a separate indictment of breach of fiduciary duty, relates to the sale in 2006 of Formula One by German bank Bayern LB to CVC Capital partners. 83-year old Bernie Ecclestone is suspected of bribing top German banker and once a majority shareholder in Formula One, Gerhard Gribkowsky, who is serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence after confessing last June to accepting a

Drunk, crashed into four cars and then still dare to offer kopi money when arrested? Really kena big time.... From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1155614/1/.html Drunk driver who caused collision jailed for attempted bribery By Alvina Soh | Posted: 26 September 2011 1711 hrs

Recently almost every week got news about ppl kena charge for bribing TP... These ppl really daring to do such act in sing ka poh...

Be Careful don't be the next victim. Next time you are caught, just take the ticket and pay the fine! You will never know when is a bribing attempt when is Kopi-money to settle. Singaporean Jailed, fined for bribery bid Wed, Sep 22, 2010 New Straits Times JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA - A Singaporean was sentenced to a day's jail and fined RM10,000 (S$4303)for attempting to bribe a traffic policeman with RM50 (S$21.50). Bus driver Tay Soon Chuan, 42, pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court yesterday after the charge was read out to him in Mandarin. Tay, who is from Hou Gang Avenue, Singapore, committed the offence at Km18.3 of the Lima Kedai- Nusajaya Highway on May 30. He was driving a car when caught speeding during an operation by traffic policemen. The operation was being monitored by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Tay offered RM50 (S$21.50) to constable Muhammad Afizi Salleh for not issuing a summons despite the policeman advising him not to do so. Tay, who was unrepresented, said he had to borrow from relatives to pay the fine. He appealed to judge Habibah Mohamed Yusof for leniency as he was the sole breadwinner of his family with two young children. MACC deputy public prosecutor Noorfazlin Hamdan said Tay's punishment should be a deterrent to the public.

Watch out for this !!! http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysi...empted-bribery/ JOHOR BAHARU, May 30

6 vehicle inspectors under probe for bribery Source: Straits Times IN WHAT is believed to be the first case of its kind in Singapore, anti-graft officers have hauled up vehicle inspectors suspected of accepting bribes in return for turning a blind eye to illegally modified cars. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) visited STA Inspection's Sin Ming Road branch on March 9 and questioned half a dozen of its employees. STA Inspection - part of the ST Engineering group - is one of three vehicle inspection companies running 10 inspection centres. The others are Vicom and JIC Inspection Services, which are not affected by the probe. Vehicle inspection has been mandatory in Singapore since 1981. Cars that are between three and 10 years old have to be inspected every two years to ensure their roadworthiness. Cars older than 10 years have to go for an-nual inspections. The STA inspectors are believed to have accepted bribes from workshops specialising in car modifications. These workshops, which often send customers' cars for inspection on their behalf for a fee, are believed to have bribed certain inspectors to ensure they would pass the modified vehicles. STA Inspection's general manager, Mr Teo Kee Jin, told The Straits Times that six employees at its Sin Ming branch were questioned by the CPIB. He said STA set up its own board of inquiry following the CPIB's visit. 'During the course of our own investigation, a decision was made to dismiss four of the employees, who admitted they had breached company policy. The two others have been suspended,' he said. Observers expect some, if not all, to wind up in court. The CPIB has refused to comment. The crackdown has sent ripples across the car workshop trade - especially those involved in modifications. Several workshops contacted refused to comment. 'Everybody is lying low right now,' said Mr Tony Tan, deputy editor of motoring magazine Torque. 'They're worried that they might be hauled up too. 'Even the car owners are worried.' Mr Tan, however, felt that though the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has relaxed the rules on modifications in recent years, the regulations are still out of step with the times. 'Many of the modified cars are safer than normal street cars,' he said. Mr Joey Lim, president of the Singapore Motor Workshop Association, concurred. 'The LTA is being too cautious,' he said. Among the rules the authority has relaxed in the last five years is one governing exhaust systems. Previously, there was a blanket ban on after-market exhaust systems. Now, those with proper certification are allowed. Last year, the authority took action against 2,510 motorists for making illegal modifications to their cars - 44 per cent more than in 2008, and possibly the highest in 10 years. Most cases are related to exhaust systems, tinted windows and lamps. In the wake of the CPIB probe, vehicle inspection firms are tightening processes. Mr Teo of STA Inspection said the company has enhanced what is 'basically a robust system'. 'We have implemented a number of changes, including randomly rotating inspectors across test lanes within the same centre, as well as rotating them across our three different centres. 'This increases the 'randomness' of customer-inspector contact,' he said. Vicom spokesman Tammy Tan said: 'We are currently fine-tuning our processes to make sure abuses...do not occur within our organisation.' The inspection business is estimated to generate a combined profit of $40 million a year for the three players.

Daimler, the German giant behind the Mercedes-Benz automotive and truck business, has pleaded guilty to corruption charges brought by the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and agreed to pay $185 million in penalties for its bribery practices. In a 76-page filing in federal court, U.S. prosecutors said between 1988 and 2008, Daimler paid at least US$56 million in bribes to foreign officials in at least 22 countries that included China, Russia, Egypt, Greece and Nigeria. Among others, the SEC said that Daimler spent

Have all business ethics gone down the drain lately? It seems that Toyota isn't the only Auto powerhouse that gets involved in shady business practices. The Detroit News reports that Mercedes-Benz's parent company, Daimler AG, has paid tens of millions in the form of bribes to governments and/or officials of twenty-two countries. The Justice Department has officially charged the manufacturer with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prevents U.S. firms from paying off foreign officials. Between 1998 and 2008, Daimler is said to have been "investing" in countries such as China, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Latvia, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam with the intent of securing contracts with government customers for the purchase of Daimler vehicles valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. Investigators reportedly traveled to 25 countries and interviewed dozens of people, including former Daimler chairman Juergen Schrempp and other executives. In the process, secret bank accounts were uncovered. However, to Daimler's credit, executives were released when it discovered that some improper transactions were made in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. According to Reuters, The charges consist of two counts - conspiracy, and falsifying books and records under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Diamler is expected to be slapped with a $185 - 200 million fine as a result of these charges. Well, I guess greed is the root cause of all these unethical practice. Even charitable organisations are making headlines for all the wrong reasons in Singapore.

Breaking news! Any comment? http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62M3TK20100323