8 weeks' jail and fine for man in bribery case

A former business director of the electronics arm of locally listed firm Singapore Technologies Engineering was sentenced to eight weeks' jail yesterday for corruptly receiving $57,387 from a Bangladeshi national.

American citizen Mark Edward Tjong, 48, a permanent resident here, was also ordered to pay a penalty of the same sum: $57,387.

Tjong had received the money through Ms Ho Su-Ling, 38 - his then girlfriend, now wife - from Mr Mujibur Rahman, as a reward for appointing the 65-year-old as an agent for ST Electronics (Info-Software Systems) (STE).

In 2006, when working for STE, Tjong's job scope included sourcing for tenders from South Asia for the company.

He was originally tried on two corruption charges. After an 11-day trial, he was convicted last month of the $57,387 charge but acquitted of a second similar charge involving $30,000.

Tjong is out on $80,000 bail, pending an appeal against the conviction and sentence. His passport has been impounded.

The court heard that in March 2006, an agency agreement between STE and Mr Mujibur, the boss of Kings Shipping and Trading, which was handling Bangladeshi government projects, was signed.

He then clinched a contract from his government for STE to supply and equip Bangladeshi police with walkie-talkies and a telecommunications network.

STE gave a cheque of $185,425 as agent fee to Mr Mujibur, who then opened a personal Citibank checking account in Singapore.

Ten days after Mr Mujibur returned to Dhaka, Tjong flew there on a business trip. Mr Mujibur met him at a hotel and handed over two blank Citibank cheques.

The amounts were later filled in by Tjong, who deposited the cheques into the bank account of Ms Ho. The funds were later withdrawn.

Seeking a two- to three-month jail term, Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Lim said Tjong committed the offence with a high degree of culpability and premeditation.

Tjong, who was in an influential position, went through circuitous routes to get the bribe from Mr Mujibur, and had abused his position for his personal benefit.

"Tjong had the clear presence of mind to circumvent the law by conducting his corrupt activities outside Singapore as far as possible," she said.

Tjong's lawyers Shashi Nathan and Tania Chin argued that a fine would be adequate to punish Tjong as there was no harm caused, the amount was not significantly high, and this was a private commercial enterprise.

District Judge Liew Thiam Leng said the court could not ignore the fact that there was an agreement between Mr Mujibur and Tjong with regard to the sharing of profits.

He noted that to avoid detection, Tjong had deposited the cheque and withdrawn the money from Ms Ho's bank account, although Tjong had stated many times in court that there was nothing sinister in that.

The maximum penalty for corruption is a $100,000 fine and five years' jail.

elena@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on August 6, 2014.
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