Twelve men have been charged for accepting bribes as part of the massive theft of gasoil from Shell’s largest refinery in Singapore.
They are all employees of surveying companies engaged by Shell to inspect the volume of oil loaded onto vessels supplied by the energy major.
Between 2014 and 2017, the 12 allegedly accepted bribes totalling at least $213,000, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a statement.
These bribes were either given to them directly, or through intermediaries, by three former employees of Shell: namely Juandi Bin Pungot, Muzaffar Ali Khan Bin Muhamad Akram and Richard Goh Chee Keong.
In early April, Pungot was sentenced to 29 years in jail for his part in the large-scale theft of oil from Shell Eastern Petroleum’s Pulau Bukom said to be worth SGD 128m ($94.3m), while Muzaffar’s and Richard’s cases are currently pending in court.
“These bribes were allegedly given to the 12 individuals as inducement or rewards for refraining from accurately reporting the amount of oil loaded onto vessels which their respective companies were engaged by Shell to inspect,” the CPIB said.
The bribes ranged in size from $5,000 to $90,000 with one of the accused allegedly spending SGD 39,000 ($29,000) of his criminal proceeds to purchase a BMW 523i motor vehicle.
The 12 were named as A Duraisamy, Jasbir Singh, Anand Omprekas, Noruliman Bin Bakti, Muhammad Ali Bin Muhammad Nor, Erwin Suhardi Bin Jamaluddin, Lee Been Lian, Naushad Carrim Tengur, Muhammad Khairul Asri Bin Mohamad Hanafiah, Kumunan Kumaran, Paramanandham Srinivasan and Rizal Bin Zulkeflee.
They each face between one and three charges for offences punishable under Singapore’s Section 6 (a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Singapore adopts a strict zero tolerance policy toward corruption. Any person who is convicted of such an offence can be fined up to SGD 100,000 or sentenced to up to five years in prison or both.
Over 20 people have now been charged in connection with the massive theft, including not only former Shell employees but also those of bunker tanker operators and surveying companies.
The prosecution of many of the accused continues. Several have already been found guilty and given hefty prison sentences.
