Two men charged with conspiring to cheat LTA
File photo of a gavel. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: Two men were charged on Tuesday (Apr 27) with conspiring to cheat the Land Transport Authority (LTA), said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
Loh Yeok Lum, 66, and Chua Cheng Kang, 64, had allegedly engaged in a conspiracy to cheat the LTA on 21 occasions between October 2010 and April 2012.
The conspiracy involved the men cheating the LTA into issuing registration approval codes for Sin Trans Engineering trailers.
Both men were drivers of the company at the time of the offences.
Their alleged actions led to officers from JIC Inspection Services (JIC), an authorised LTA inspection centre, submitting reports to the Vehicle Inspection and Type Approval System (VITAS) which falsely declared the weight of Sin Trans trailers.
As a result, the LTA was deceived into believing that the trailers were compliant with the approved technical drawings when they were not, said the CPIB.
It added that the authority subsequently issued approval codes for the registration of the trailers which it would not have otherwise done so.
Both Loh and Chua each face 21 counts of cheating.
Loh is also alleged to have engaged in a similar conspiracy with two JIC inspection officers sometime in February 2014 to cheat the LTA into issuing registration approval codes for Sin Trans trailers on three occasions.
He faces an additional three counts of cheating.
"Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and other criminal activities," said the CPIB.
Anyone convicted of cheating can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
The CPIB said it will look into all corruption complaints and reports, including anonymous ones. Those with relevant information can contact the CPIB online or call 1800-376-0000.
