Employee of town council managing agent charged with corruption offences

Phua Gim Chuan, a 63-year-old senior project manager at EM Services, the managing agent for three town councils, has been charged with six corruption and money laundering offences. He is accused of receiving S$220,000 in bribes from three company directors to advance their business interests in contract proposals involving Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, Sembawang Town Council, and Sengkang Town Council.

According to court documents, Phua concealed S$90,000 of the bribes by instructing his wife to deposit them into her personal bank account in December 2022. He also used S$105,000 of the funds to purchase a Mercedes-Benz car in January 2023. The three accused directors, Yap Hwee Kang, Lim Kian Koon, and Ng Lee Peng, are each facing one to two corruption charges.

They allegedly gave Phua bribes ranging from S$30,000 to S$100,000 in connection with contract proposals for the respective town councils. The individuals involved are scheduled for their next hearing on September 18, and could face fines, imprisonment, or both, with the maximum jail term increasing to seven years if the offence is related to government contracts or public bodies.