Man gets a year in jail over conspiracy to give at least $127k in bribes to then director at zoo
Lim Thiam Poh's company received contracts worth nearly $2.4million.
In a Singapore court, Lim Thiam Poh, the sole proprietor of Thiam Lee Tradings Construction, received a one-year prison sentence for his involvement in a bribery scheme. The scheme involved providing at least $127,000 to Barry Chong Peng Wee, the former facilities management director at the Singapore Zoological Gardens, which was then a subsidiary of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
The bribery took place between February 2014 and June 2015. Thiam Lee's firm was awarded nearly $2.4 million in contracts as a result of the bribes.
The scheme involved three men: Lim Thiam Poh, Too Say Kiong, and Barry Chong. Too Say Kiong, a foreman of Shin Yong Construction, joined the company in 1990 and left in mid-2015. Thiam Lee was SYC’s subcontractor between 2008 and 2014, and remained so when Too proposed the bribery scheme to him. Thiam Lee agreed to the plan, which required him to pay commissions and referral fees to Too for every job awarded directly to Thiam Lee by WRS.
During the bribery arrangement, WRS began awarding jobs directly to Thiam Lee as its main contractor. Lim Thiam Poh would periodically deliver envelopes containing commissions for Chong and referral fees to Too, contingent on Thiam Lee's net profit exceeding $20,000. The bribes were intended to ensure WRS awarded contracts to Thiam Lee based on corrupt means rather than merit.
The prosecution urged the court to sentence Lim to up to a year and three months in jail, citing his greed and the loss suffered by WRS due to the corrupt arrangement. Lim is expected to begin his sentence on August 19, 2025.
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