4 people charged over 2017 police report by SportSG which alleged misuse of funds at Tiong Bahru FC

SINGAPORE — Four people were charged on Tuesday (Feb 21) over a police report made by SportSG in 2017, which alleged the misuse of funds by Tiong Bahru Football Club and an attempt to obstruct audits of clubs that did not participate in the S-League that year. 

This came after the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) completed its investigations, said police in a news release on Tuesday.

The four individuals, aged between 33 and 50, were charged for offences relating to forging the financial statements of two football clubs and obstructing police investigations.

Kaw Lai Fong, who was the manager of Tiong Bahru Football Club and treasurer of Woodlands Wellington Football Club at the time, was charged with obstructing investigations by concealing her handphone from CAD and lying about its whereabouts.

Former Woodlands Wellington Football Club chairman Gary Tan Eng Chin was also charged, together with fellow ESW Holdings director Sng Kian Peng. Both were accused of engaging in a conspiracy to obstruct CAD’s investigations by instructing their staff to replace all the hard disks in their computers to stop CAD from gaining access to them.

Lau Chee Yong, an audit assistant from the firm Chan Leng Leng & Co, was charged with forging the financial statements of Woodlands Wellington and Hougang United football clubs for the financial year that ended on Dec 31, 2015.

Lau, who had audited the financial statements of both clubs, had fraudulently affixed the signature of the firm’s sole proprietor, Chan Leng Leng, in the independent auditors’ report of the financial statements.

Police added that no further action will be taken against other individuals in relation to the other matters mentioned in the police report.

This comes “after careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case as disclosed by investigations, and with the concurrence of the Attorney-General's Chambers”, police said.

This means that no charges will be brought against Bill Ng — chairman of Tiong Bahru Football Club at the time — and his wife Bonnie, who were among those arrested in 2017 in relation to the probe.

In September 2021, the Attorney General’s Chambers said two other people arrested at the time — Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) former president Zainudin Nordin and general secretary Winston Lee — will not face charges.

In the run-up to the FAS’ first elections in 2017, Ng had said that he donated S$850,000 to the FAS but did not know how it was used.

It then emerged that Tiong Bahru Football Club had made a S$500,000 donation to ASEAN Football Federation through the FAS.

Lee and Ng later had a public dispute over the other’s awareness of the transaction. SportSG lodged a police report.

Police later raided four locations, including the FAS headquarters at Jalan Besar and three clubs linked to Ng – Hougang United, Tiong Bahru and Woodlands Wellington.

Those convicted of obstructing the course of justice can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.

The offence of forgery carries a jail term of up to four years, a fine, or both. CNA

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