SINGAPORE — A Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) senior executive who provided misleading information to the authorities and destroyed evidence has been fined S$100,000 for breaching the Casino Control Act on three counts.

Between May and July 2011, Lim Tze Chean, 44, misled the authorities while they were conducting an investigation and destroyed log entries which showed that RWS had issued complimentary Universal Studios Singapore tickets to patrons who had renewed their annual levies.

Singapore citizens or permanent residents are required to pay either a daily levy of S$100 or an annual levy of S$2,000 for 24-hour entry to the casinos.

Under the law, casino operators cannot refund or reimburse patrons for the entry levy, whether directly or indirectly.

Lim is one of three RWS employees who were charged in September last year for doing so, after the integrated resort was fined S$600,000 for breaching social safeguards against problem gambling by partially reimbursing the annual entry levy paid by some 3,400 local patrons.

In sentencing, District Judge Soh Tze Bian noted that the offences were committed “on RWS’ instructions” and Lim did not know that his employer “did not check (with) or seek approval” from the authorities.

He added that a deterrent sentence “need not always take the form of a custodial term, as it may take the form of a fine if it is high enough to have a deterrent effect on the offender”.

Lim could have been jailed up to two years and fined on each count that he was charged with.

CLAIRE HUANG