Senior Singapore official gets 6 months in jail for corruption

Peter Lim, former commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF), was sentenced to six months in jail on Thursday for corruption. Lim, 53, was convicted two weeks ago on one charge of corruptly obtaining sexual favor from 49-year-old Pang Chor Mui, a general manager at a contractor for the Singapore Civil Defense Force, in May 2010. In return, he tipped Pang off about the SCDF's need for walkthrough radiation portal monitors before the tender was made public in April 2011. Lim also admitted to seven other corruption charges involving two other women in the high-profile case. The district judge took these seven charges into consideration during sentencing. Lim was given a discharge for two other charges amounting to an acquittal. District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim said that Lim had contributed to not just the SCDF but also the wider society and that he was cooperative during investigations. However, Lim brought "embarrassment to the public service," with his actions resulting in a "loss of reputation to the SCDF." She said Lim, as the highest ranking officer in the SCDF, "was expected to lead by example and display unimpeachable conduct." The defence previously argued that Pang was not coerced into giving Lim oral sex. The judge disagreed, saying that Pang would not have wanted to jeopardise the relations between her company Nimrod and the SCDF. The six-month sentence was stiffer than the prosecution's request for a five-month jail term. Lim's lawyer Hamidul Haq told reporters that they have filed an appeal against the sentence, saying it is "excessive" and "disappointing." The maximum penalty for corruption is five years' jail and a fine of up to 100,000 Singapore dollars (80,000 U.S. dollars) on each charge. Lim was out on a 15,000 Singapore dollars (12,000 U.S. dollars) bail. Separately, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement that civil service disciplinary proceedings will be held in abeyance pending Lim's appeal. Lim's case was one of the high-profile cases in Singapore involving high-ranking officials recently. Ng Boon Gay, former chief of the Central Narcotics Bureau, was cleared of four counts of corruption in February this year. He was accused of obtaining sexual gratification from 36-year-old Cecilia Sue in exchange for furthering her employers' business interests. Singapore has been known for its rule of law and clean government. It has been consistently one of the top five on the rankings by Corruption Perceptions Index released every year by Transparency International since 1995.