Anton Casey furore: His company will take appropriate action once probe of his comments is completed

The employers of British senior wealth manager Anton Casey are currently investigating his comments that got Singaporeans up in arms, and will take the appropriate action when their review is done.

In a statement carried in the British press, Christophe Audergon, managing director of Crossinvest Asia, said:

"Crossinvest does not condone the comments. We believe they were made in poor taste.

"We are currently investigating the comments made by our employee and will take appropriate action once we are in possession of all the facts."

The furore erupted when two photos from Casey's facebook page, accompanied by captions that labelled Singaporeans who take public transportation as 'poor people' and that he could not bear having 'the stench of public transport' on him.

A video of him, with his son behind him, later surfaced and showed him offering a sarcastic apology, where he said: "Be angry at your mum and dad for raising you a w*ss."

Many netizens who came across his postings were outraged at what they saw, and took to the Internet to air their thoughts.

The furore caused by Casey's comments subsequently led to him taking down his facebook profile, before he issued an apology via a public relations firm.

However, his apology has not won over some detractors, who claim it was in no way one that was sincere.

That sentiment was also echoed by Law Minister K Shanmugam, who aired his thoughts over the matter in a post on his facebook page.

In the post, Mr Shanmugam, who is the first minister to comment on the issue, said that there was "some basis" for Singaporeans to question the lack of sincerity of his apology.

He wrote on his Facebook page: "I have been asked what I thought of Mr Anton Casey and his statements. Like many Singaporeans, I am terribly upset and offended by what he has posted. Deeply offensive, wrong, and unacceptable.

"Those who have done well in life should always be looking out for others - especially the less well-off or needy. It is basic human decency. Instead Mr Casey showed contempt. Having money and a Porsche, does not automatically mean that one is superior. Character is important.

"I am glad the community has come together to condemn what he has said.

"He has attempted to apologise to Singaporeans. But some feel that the manner of his apology showed a lack of sincerity. And I think there is some basis for thinking that."

"At the same time, I hope that Singaporeans will not attack or flame his family because of his actions. We, Singaporeans, can be bigger than that."

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