Shell Pulau Bukom fuel heist: Jail for former technician who received more than S$730,000

SINGAPORE: Another former Shell employee linked to the S$128 million marine fuel heist at the company's refinery in Singapore was jailed for 15 years and four months on Thursday (May 26).

Muhamad Farhan Mohamed Rashid, 34, received more than S$730,000 from his participation in the scheme.

He used part of the proceeds to invest in Hararu Izakaya Restaurant with heist masterminds Juandi Pungot and Muzaffar Ali Khan Muhamad Akram, and also invested in property in Batam and Brazil.

He pleaded guilty in March to 13 charges of abetting criminal breach of trust, four charges of laundering criminal proceeds and one charge of taking methamphetamine. Another 25 charges were considered for sentencing.

The misappropriation of marine fuel by Shell employees took place between 2007 and 2018 at the Pulau Bukom refinery, Shell's largest petrochemical production and export centre in Asia Pacific.

The syndicate arranged and conducted illegal loadings of marine fuel onto vessels at below-market rates, distributing the criminal proceeds among themselves.

The large-scale conspiracy involved several Shell employees, middlemen, ship captains as well as external surveyors who were bribed to not accurately report the volumes of fuel transfers.

Juandi, one of three masterminds in the heist, received at least S$5.6 million in criminal proceeds. He previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 29 years in jail.

Farhan joined Shell in 2010 and worked as a process technician or control panel operator, with responsibilities that included facilitating the transfer of petroleum products to client vessels.

He was recruited into the syndicate by Juandi and Muzaaffar in 2014, where his role was that of a "black oil panel man", said Deputy Public Prosecutors Christopher Ong, Stephanie Chew and Ryan Lim.

Farhan was directed to open and close bypass valves so that vessels could receive the stolen fuel without being detected by Shell's custody transfer meters.

He also assisted Juandi in switching off the radars to fuel storage tanks, in order to prevent the recording of data about the amount of fuel inside.

He aided the misappropriation of almost S$60 million in marine fuel from 2014 to 2016, said prosecutors.

The prosecution had sought a slightly longer sentence of 15 years and eight months.

"The sheer scale of the offending in this case is without precedent. It strikes at the core of a strategic industry and must be met with a resounding deterrent sentence," said the prosecutors.

"The staggering losses have not been made good. Indeed, there is little hope that any of the offenders will be able to make any meaningful restitution."

While Farhan's role was subordinate to masterminds such as Juandi, "he was an active and willing participant in ensuring the successful commission of the offences", they added.

The sentence imposed by District Judge Luke Tan also included three years' jail for taking methamphetamine while on bail in September last year.

Farhan, who was represented by lawyer Anand George, started serving his sentence on Thursday after he was unable to raise bail for a one-week deferment.