WP files four parliamentary questions about Keppel corruption case to ask PM Lee and Heng Swee Keat

Parliamentarians from the Workers’ Party (WP) have filed four questions on the Keppel corruption case, according to the Party’s assistant secretary-general Pritam Singh.

One of the Members of Parliament (MP) for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) – the only GRC an opposition party presently holds in Singapore – Singh noted that no ruling party MPs have filed questions on the corruption scandal which gripped headlines when news broke last week that the government-linked company Keppel Corporation’s offshore and marine unit must pay a whopping US$422m fine to settle corruption charges.

Singh described news of the scandal as a shocking revelation on Facebook:

“Amidst the shocking revelation of what must be one of the largest corruption scandals in the history of Singapore’s Government Linked Companies, I was most surprised to see the virtual absence of any substantive information on this scandal on the AGC or CPIB websites except a brief media statement on the conditional warning given to Keppel, something made even more curious in view of Keppel’s denial over a year ago that its top executives were even involved in giving out bribes for contracts.”

He further revealed that the four questions on the case will be posed by himself, WP chairperson Sylvia Lim and WP MP Png Eng Huat to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat. The questions are:

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the penalty of US$422 million to be paid by Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd for corrupt payments between 2001 to 2014 to officials of Petroleo Brasileiro SA and Brazil’s then ruling party was part of a three-nation plea bargain agreement, involving United States, Brazil and Singapore, and Keppel companies; and (b) what are the considerations in reaching such arrangements, which have implications on local law enforcement and prosecutorial decisions.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Finance in respect of Keppel Offshore and Marine’s (KOM) agreement to pay a US$422 million fine as part of a three-nation corruption probe settlement (a) whether the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) Deferred Prosecution Agreement on the KOM corruption probe settlement, or any other agreement, includes any condition that prevents the public disclosure of the identities of the Singaporeans who are involved; and (b) when does the Government expect the CPIB and AGC to formally complete investigations and to charge the individuals in question in view of the criminal findings made against KOM by the US DoJ.

Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how much more time will the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) need to complete the investigations in respect of the Singaporeans involved in the Keppel Offshore & Marine (KOM) corruption case since KOM and its wholly-owned US subsidiary, KOM USA, have agreed to pay more than US$422 million in penalty to resolve corruption charges of paying about US$55 million in bribes to secure contracts; and (b) how far back in time will CPIB go to in its investigation into the Singaporeans involved since the corrupt activities were committed as early as 2001.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) how many Singapore Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) or their subsidiaries locally or overseas have been investigated or continue to be investigated by local or overseas authorities for corrupt practices over the last 30 years; and (b) what role do the Ministry and Temasek Holdings play to ensure that GLCs or their subsidiaries do not engage in corrupt practices when conducting business overseas.

https://theindependent.sg.sg/will-the-pap-government-prosecute-the-5-former-keppel-senior-executives-named-in-brazilian-court/