SINGAPORE — The group managing director of Or Kim Peow (OKP) Contractors had his charges withdrawn on Wednesday (July 31), a day before he was due to stand trial over the 2017 collapse of an uncompleted Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) viaduct at Upper Changi Road East.

The court heard that on Wednesday morning, officers from the Building and Construction Authority and the Ministry of Manpower gave Mr Or Toh Wat, 51, conditional warnings in relation to his charges.

Mr Or was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for his three charges under the Building Control Act and the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

This means that he may still be prosecuted for these alleged offences and any new ones — for example, if he breaches any of the conditions of his conditional warning.

Mr Or’s charges mirrored that of OKP’s — one was for allegedly failing to take necessary measures to ensure their employees' safety and health.

He was also accused of carrying out unauthorised strengthening works to sections of the viaduct, as well as failing to notify the Commissioner of Building Control of said strengthening works.

Another individual involved, OKP's project director Yee Chee Keong, 49, was also granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on Wednesday afternoon for one charge under the Building Control Act.

This latest development comes a day after OKP was fined S$10,000 in the State Courts.

The company pleaded guilty to carrying out the strengthening works to a permanent corbel of the structure on July 8, 2017 — six days before an uncompleted section of the viaduct collapsed.

Chinese national Chen Yinchuan, 31, died while another 10 workers were injured.

Permanent corbels, or support structures, are used to support one end of a flyover and are essential to the overall structural stability of a viaduct. The viaduct in question links the PIE to Tampines Expressway and Upper Changi Road East.

OKP still faces one charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, for allegedly failing to take necessary measures to ensure their employees' safety and health.

The company will be contesting that charge, with the trial set to begin on Thursday (Aug 1). 

Three other individuals will also be claiming trial to their respective charges on Thursday. They are Yee; OKP’s project engineer Wong Kiew Hai, 31; and the project’s qualified person Robert Arianto Tjandra, 45.

Yee, who was the technical controller of the viaduct’s worksite, still faces two charges.

He allegedly failed to call for works to be stopped when he discovered cracks on the corbels that were supporting the deck slab the workers were on. He is also said to have deleted a WhatsApp conversation between Wong and himself, which allegedly contained photographs and information potentially relevant to criminal investigations.