2 former engineers with RSAF charged with corruption, violating Official Secrets Act
SINGAPORE — A former airforce engineer was charged in court on Friday (July 21) with corruption, over contracts made with the Government that was worth more than S$1.8 million.
SINGAPORE — A former airforce engineer was charged in court on Friday (July 21) with corruption, over contracts made with the Government that was worth more than S$1.8 million.
Rajkumar Padmanthan, along with another former engineer with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and a contractor, have been slapped with more than 350 charges relating to cheating, corruption, as well as the violation of the Official Secrets Act.
The 48-year-old allegedly concealed information that he was the owner of Goodwill Aviations System, a firm he had recommended to the RSAF for aircraft system repair and maintenance works.
He did this on 99 occasions from October 2010 to April 2012. RSAF ended up contracting the firm, paying it S$869,000.
Rajkumar is also said to have recommended Eagle Flight Aviation Services as a contractor to the airforce. He had an interest in this firm, owned by one Jeevan Arumugam, and it ended up clinching a S$633,000 contract in 2012.
Jeevan, 46, is accused of conspiring with Rajkumar to cover up his interest in Eagle Flight on 67 occasions.
Investigations showed that Rajkumar also allegedly did not disclose that another firm he had recommended to RSAF, Duratech Engineering, would subcontract the work to Goodwill or Eagle Flight. Duratech was paid S$259,000 to do repair and maintenance works.
In 2013, when Rajkumar was no longer with the RSAF and was an employee of One Marina Property Services, he again recommended a company, Global Trade Well, and Eagle Flight as contractors to RSAF, for facilities repair and maintenance works. He is believed to have also concealed his interest in Global Trade Well at the time.
One Marina Property Services does facilities management of military camps, a check on its website showed.
Among the 251 charges that Rajkumar faces is one of corruptly offering former RSAF engineer Sung Way Xiong an unspecified amount of money and future employment, in return for obtaining restricted pricing information.
Sung allegedly told Rajkumar the moving price of material part numbers — sensitive information that only those in the RSAF could get — on 33 occasions in 2014.
The 28-year-old is charged with receiving the bribe and future job offer. He and Rajkumar each faces 33 counts of violating the Official Secrets Acts.
In a media release on Friday, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said that it would not hesitate to take action against any party involved in corrupt practices. It added: “Employees should not have official dealings with companies that they have a personal or vested interest in, or use corrupt means to obtain confidential information for competitive advantage.”
For cheating offences, Rajkumar could be thrown behind bars for up to 10 years, and/or fined. For conspiring with Rajkumar, Jeevan could be subjected to the same penalties.
For corruptly offering and receiving gratification, Rajkumar and Sung could be fined up to S$100,000 or jailed up to five years, or both.
For violating the Official Secrets Act, the two could get a jail term of up to two years, and/or fined up to S$2,000.
The three men will next appear in court on August 14.