Former chief of protocol at MFA charged with cheating

[Cr4shnBurN]

For this guy, seems like someone from within knew about his indiscretions, didn't like him and pao to him? Then again, what he did was not acceptable and honestly silly for a man in his position.

[Jman888]

if over-ordered extra tarts and wine, maybe he has a party to meet diplomats from all over the world, last minutes many cannot make it, hence with the left over, he took home lor ........

[Enye]

the ultimate winner imho is

 

the SQ clerk who had multiple properties and luxury cars

 

and managed to escape detection for many many years

 

 

btw is he still in prison?

 

 

[Ah_Zai]

  On 10/10/2013 at 6:24 AM, Tianake said:

wonder what will happen to his boss who approved his claims. must be sleeping on the job for the past 4 years too.

 

anyone have any idea what is this government agency called Vital.Org

 

hmmm vital is the centralised government department that deals with administrative matters including HR and Finance for other government departments. So basically, some government departments outsource certain roles to Vital to save cost.

LOL. WSJ sibei power one. Its articles always suan PAP a bit one. The reporters that covers Singapore matters sounds like Singaporean too cos their names sound local.

 

 

  On 10/11/2013 at 12:33 AM, Porker said:

 

SINGAPORE—A former Singaporean diplomat faces a potentially hefty jail sentence if found guilty of inflating expense claims for pineapple tarts and wine consumed on official overseas trips.

Lim Cheng Hoe, former chief of protocol at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was charged in court Thursday with 60 counts of cheating over claims that were allegedly inflated by a total of about 89,000 Singapore dollars (US$71,000), according to charge sheets provided by the Attorney-General’s Chambers. The offenses allegedly took place from February 2008 to May 2012.

According to the charge sheets, the 60-year-old allegedly submitted claims for a total of 10,075 boxes of pineapple tarts – a popular bite-size pastry filled with or topped with pineapple jam – and 248 bottles of wine, when he only procured 2,226 boxes and 89 bottles.

As chief of protocol, Mr. Lim had led the foreign ministry’s department responsible for administering diplomatic protocol and organizing official functions, such as overseas trips and domestic diplomatic receptions for government ministers and the president.

Mr. Lim, who served in the foreign ministry for 38 years before he was suspended in June 2012, couldn’t be reached for comment. He has engaged legal counsel and a pretrial conference is scheduled on Oct. 25, according the AGC.

Each cheating charge can be punished with a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The charges against Mr. Lim were the latest in a series of alleged corruption and cheating scandals in Singapore involving high-ranking public officials, including an ongoing court case against a senior anticorruption-agency officer, who allegedly misappropriated more than S$1.7 million in public funds.

In May, the former chief of Singapore’s civil-defense force was found guilty of corruptly accepting sexual favors, a conviction for which he is serving a six-month jail sentence. In February, a former director of the city-state’s anti-drug enforcement agency was acquitted after facing similar charges.

Such cases are considered rare for Singapore, which enjoys a reputation for probity that has helped make this Southeast Asian financial center a darling of investors around the world.

In 2012, corruption watchdog agency Transparency International ranked Singapore as Asia’s least-corrupt country, and placed the city-state No. 5 on its list of the world’s least corrupt countries—behind just Denmark, Finland, New Zealand and Sweden.

Singapore’s government leaders enjoy high salaries compared with to other countries—a practice they say helps prevent corruption by reducing the incentive to break the law for personal gain.

Wall Street Journal article

 

 

[Lurpsexx]

  On 10/11/2013 at 3:05 AM, Ah_Zai said:

 

hmmm vital is the centralised government department that deals with administrative matters including HR and Finance for other government departments. So basically, some government departments outsource certain roles to Vital to save cost.

LOL. WSJ sibei power one. Its articles always suan PAP a bit one. The reporters that covers Singapore matters sounds like Singaporean too cos their names sound local.

 

 

 

 

Seems like this case slipped thru the controls bec the individual items are of low value, and he managed to game the system by not crossing the approval threshold and buying the small qty consistently .. over time the qty build up and the amts too.. I think these pineapple tarts were expensed off and not in inventory so no one can check whether these tarts were actually bought or not.. just a supplier invoice is enuf for the payments to him... smart and corrupt eunuch this chief of protocol...

 

I like to read what the overseas articles say abt what's going on... to me they are more impartial..

[Maxus-MIFA9]

  On 10/11/2013 at 4:03 AM, Lurpsexx said:

 

Seems like this case slipped thru the controls bec the individual items are of low value, and he managed to game the system by not crossing the approval threshold and buying the small qty consistently .. over time the qty build up and the amts too.. I think these pineapple tarts were expensed off and not in inventory so no one can check whether these tarts were actually bought or not.. just a supplier invoice is enuf for the payments to him... smart and corrupt eunuch this chief of protocol...

 

I like to read what the overseas articles say abt what's going on... to me they are more impartial..

 

Like that, don't know how many boxes of condom when unchecks ...

[Count-Bracula]

  On 10/11/2013 at 2:09 AM, Picnic06 said:

 

hmmmmm................. gone to heaven leow ...

 

I remember one from PUB where he got off with $10million and runned to NZ for more than 10yrs.

 

Only to return later to be arrested & charged ...

 

 

There was one lawyer up till now unable to trace his whereabout. Cheated clients money, left his wife & family behind and no where to be seen....

You referring to Stephen Lim, the rogue lawyer. My primary school friend lah this one.

 

Came back from Thailand after a few years of hiding and got caught. Served 3+ years jail and should have checked out Changi Hotel liao. Such a waste, he went RI, RJC and then NUS. He damn yaya one . . pui!!

[1fast1]

 

Interesting that we're number one when it comes to paying our leaders and top civil servants but only number 5 when it comes to lack of corruption. The US reporter should've asked our PM to account for this glaring disconnect.

[Jman888]

  On 10/11/2013 at 4:43 AM, Turboflat4 said:

Interesting that we're number one when it comes to paying our leaders and top civil servants but only number 5 when it comes to lack of corruption. The US reporter should've asked our PM to account for this glaring disconnect.

 

 

of course nothing is foolproof

[1fast1]

  On 10/11/2013 at 4:45 AM, Jman888 said:

 

 

of course nothing is foolproof

Not asking for foolproof. Just asking that the monkeys in charge stop making fools of the people they're in charge of.

[Lurpsexx]

  On 10/11/2013 at 4:18 AM, Picnic06 said:

 

Like that, don't know how many boxes of condom when unchecks ...

 

Yes, you're right, bec those kachang puteh items they normally dun wan to keep stock and expense off easier to manage,, that's why many small items can "go missing" and yet no one is aware.. these loopholes companies manage by exception as low values and more efficient...

[Donut]

i assume as Chief of Protocol, he should be at the highest grade in civil service. To cheat on wines and pineapple tarts is such a stupid thing to do.........

 

At 60 year old, he's due to retire and just wait to collect his pension.....

 

now, he can kiss everything goodbye

[Viceroymenthol]

  On 10/16/2013 at 8:48 AM, Donut said:

i assume as Chief of Protocol, he should be at the highest grade in civil service. To cheat on wines and pineapple tarts is such a stupid thing to do.........

 

At 60 year old, he's due to retire and just wait to collect his pension.....

 

now, he can kiss everything goodbye

This Chief of Protocol is an old-school civil servant. He is a non-graduate. Grapevine says that his salary is not that high for someone with his experience. Due to his lack of a degree, his rank is only at deputy director level, salary is entry-level superscale MX9 plus some extra. So total only around $250k to $300k, nowhere near the mid-upper tier of civil servant salaries.

 

For comparison's sake, this is equivalent to an average mid-level banker in American or European bank, aged early 30 plus, ie: literally half his age. Banker ah, not back office employee ah.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Viceroymenthol

[Wt_know]

$250K-$300K salary is only 1/2 a peanut ...

Edited October 16, 2013 by Wt_know