Former NUS professor, research fellow charged with cheating and forgery in 2 separate cases

SINGAPORE — Two former National University of Singapore (NUS) employees were charged on Thursday (Jan 28) in separate cases involving cheating and forgery.

Tan Kok Kiong, a professor with NUS’ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the time of the offences, is said to have submitted to the school fraudulent claims amounting to about S$100,000. These offences are said to have occurred sometime between 2012 and 2019.

Tan is accused of generating fake invoices for the purported purchase of products and services, and of submitting claims that were either inflated or for expenses unrelated to his research grant. By doing so, he cheated NUS approving officers into disbursing the money to him, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

Tan faces 32 counts of forgery for the purpose of cheating, as well as five counts of cheating and dishonestly inducing a delivery of money.

In an unrelated case, Teh Kok Hiong Thomas, a research fellow at NUS’ Department of Biomedical Engineering at the time of his offences, is accused of submitting fake claims to the school for about S$41,100.

The offences, which occurred between 2010 and 2018, involved purchases falsely claimed for work-related use, as well as travel expenses Teh had not been entitled to claim. This led to the NUS approving officers being cheated into disbursing the money to him.

Teh faces five counts of forgery for the purpose of cheating and 22 counts of cheating and dishonestly inducing a delivery of money.

If found guilty of the cheating or forgery offences, they may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

“Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and other criminal activities such as cheating and forgery,” said the CPIB.

The agency added that it looks into all corruption complaints and reports, including anonymous ones. CNA

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