Singapore court acquits two former marine engineering executives over alleged US$44m bribes in Brazil

Singapore's Court of Justice has acquitted two former senior executives of Sembcorp Marine, a Singapore offshore and marine engineering company, accused of bribing Brazilian officials allegedly linked to US$44 million in bribes. The two individuals, former President and CEO Wong Weng Sun and former Jurong Shipyard Senior General Manager Lee Fook Kang, were found not guilty after prosecutors decided to issue stern warnings instead of pursuing charges.

The decision was made after considering circumstances, including the dismissal of Brazilian corruption charges against a former Sembcorp Marine consultant, Guilherme Esteves de Jesus, who was found not guilty in 2023. Prosecutors in Singapore had charged the executives in March 2024 with conspiring to pay Esteves to influence Brazilian officials from 2009 to 2014.

Wong also faced charges of obstructing justice by allegedly instructing two employees to delete an email containing evidence of bribes. After the acquittal, Wong's lawyers stated that he consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing and had no further pending court proceedings. Sembcorp Marine later merged with Keppel Offshore and Marine to form Seatrium, which entered a deferred prosecution agreement with US$110 million related to corruption allegations in Brazil.