Corruption-related reports up 4% in 2021 but situation 'firmly under control', says CPIB

SINGAPORE: The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) received 249 corruption-related reports last year, up 4 per cent from 2020, with the situation in Singapore remaining "firmly under control", said the anti-graft agency.

Of the 249 reports received, 83 were registered for investigation, CPIB said in its annual report on Thursday (May 5). A report is registered for investigation “if the information received is pursuable”. 

Nearly 90 per cent of reports investigated - 74 cases - were in the private sector, with nine cases involving public sector employees rejecting bribes offered by private sector individuals. 

Despite workplace disruptions due to COVID-19, CPIB was able to complete investigations into 87 per cent of the subjects it investigated in 2021, it said. 

In total, 165 people were prosecuted in court in 2021 for offences investigated by CPIB - 154 in the private sector and 11 in the public sector. The conviction rate of CPIB cases in 2021 was 98 per cent. 

"The consistently high conviction rate is testament to the high quality of the Bureau’s investigation to be able to stand up to scrutiny in Court, as well as the working relationship between CPIB and the Attorney-General’s Chambers in bringing corrupt offenders to task," the agency said. 

Transparency International ranked Singapore fourth out of 180 countries in its 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index.