SINGAPORE — Leading opposition party, Workers’ Party, has filed 16 Parliamentary Questions for the upcoming Parliament sitting over two controversial issues that have popped up over the past month.
The first issue is the decision by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) to issue stern warnings to six former executives of the Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited (KOM) in lieu of prosecution for offences punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The offences relate to bribe payments to officials of Petrobras, pertaining to rigs-building contracts which Petrobras and/or its related companies had awarded to KOM, which were said to span over more than a decade.
While CPIB states that the matter is “complex and transnational”, involving multiple authorities and witnesses from several countries. Many have pointed out that KOM had already pleaded guilty to the offences in a plea agreement with the United States Department of Justice (DoJ).
Furthermore, one of the six was a DoJ’s prosecution witness who had testified against the other five.
Former Singtel CEO and former Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Lee Hsien Yang, commented that the decision not to prosecute will “cause more damage” to Singapore’s reputation than the reprehensible acts that were perpetrated and that it “stands in stark contrast” to Singapore’s widely touted policy of zero tolerance to corruption.
The second issue is the sacking or punishing of staff from SPH Media Trust (SMT) for the misrepresentation of circulation figures of its publications.
It was first reported by Wake Up Singapore (WUSG) on 8 January that several senior executives were either sacked or disciplined after an internal review discovered lapses in the reporting of circulation figures.
A day following WUSG’s report, SPH Media admitted to the matter via a report in the Straits Times but has not issued any public statement on it to date.
SMT’s CEO was said to have told staff to “let the matter rest” during a town hall meeting over the actions taken against the staff involved in the misrepresentation of circulation figures. No response has been received from SPH Media in regard to the clarification sought over this matter.
SMT’s chairman and former People’s Action Party minister, Khaw Boon Wan, has kept quiet on the scandal.
Public outcry over the lack of transparency and accountability in this scandal is centred around the fact that SMT is not just a private enterprise but an entity that is funded by the Singapore government up to S$180 million a year for a period of five years or S$900 million in total.
So far, no public statements by the ministries have been issued over the two issues.
The next Parliament sitting has been scheduled to commence at 12 pm on 6 February 2023.
Below is the full list of Parliamentary Questions the WP MPs have filed.
Topics Related to Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited
1) Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how did the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau arrive at the decision to issue stern warnings to the six former management staff of Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited (KOM) given the size of the bribes given to officials from the Brazilian state-owned corporation Petroleo Brasileiro SA which amounted to S$73 million and the size of the fine KOM paid which amounted to US$422 million; and (b) whether a detailed account of the facts behind the bribes payment can be provided.
2) Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Prime Minister whether it is in the public interest to disclose the names of the six former management staff of Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited (KOM) who were given stern warnings for their roles in the giving of S$73 million bribes to officials from the Brazilian state-owned corporation Petroleo Brasileiro SA, notwithstanding the practice of not disclosing the names of persons who have been given stern warnings.
3) Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister why the statement of facts contained in the Deferred Prosecution Agreement concluded between Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited with the United States Department of Justice dated 22 December 2017 is not considered sufficient, available, and appropriate evidence of the six former senior management staff’s culpability for them to be charged with corruption in Singapore.
4) Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister since the conclusion of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement between Keppel Offshore and Marine limited and the United States Department of Justice in December 2017 (a) how many times has CPIB reached out to witnesses overseas or sought to obtain documents located overseas; (b) when did these actions take place; and (c) what have the responses of the overseas witnesses or organisations been when contacted.
5) Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister (a) why is CPIB not naming the six former senior management staff of Keppel Offshore and Marine limited who have been issued stern warnings in lieu of prosecution for offences punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act; and (b) whether their ages and nationalities can be revealed.
6) Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in each of the last five years (a) whether the Ministry has records of how many Singapore companies have been (i) investigated and (ii) found guilty of offences under foreign legislation such as the United Kingdom’s Bribery Act or other equivalents; and (b) if so, what is the breakdown for such figures.
7) Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Prime Minister based on investigations into the Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited corruption case conducted by CPIB (a) what are the offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1960 (PCA) that were considered for prosecution for the six individuals; and (b) what is the maximum penalty for these offences under the PCA.
8) Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Prime Minister in deciding against prosecuting the six individuals involved in the Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited corruption case (a) what weightage has been given to the various relevant factors such as the culpability of each individual, the available evidence and what is appropriate in the circumstances; and (b) whether this is consistent with the Government’s political commitment and leadership and a culture of zero tolerance against corruption.
9) Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the decision not to prosecute the six individuals who are involved in the Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited corruption case in Brazil represents a departure from the Government’s stated stance of zero tolerance towards corruption; and (b) whether the said decision will have an impact on deterring Singaporeans at home or abroad from committing corrupt acts in a manner that makes prosecution similarly difficult.
10) Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister how will the decision not to prosecute the six individuals who were involved in the Keppel Offshore and Marine Limited corruption case in Brazil likely to affect the reputation of Singapore and Singaporean companies for having a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption.
Topics relating to SPH falsification of circulation data
1) Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Ministry will require SPH Media Trust (SMT) to disclose (i) the reasons why the inconsistencies in the daily circulation numbers of SPH Media’s publications took a long time to be discovered and made public and (ii) what is being done to strengthen governance over such matters; and (b) how will these inconsistencies impact the Government’s commitment to fund SMT.
2) Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what is the total number of newspaper copies that were printed, counted and destroyed by SPH Media or its predecessor company for the entire duration of the scheme to inflate circulation numbers; (b) what is the estimated total weight of paper used; and (c) what is the environmental impact of these actions.
3) Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information regarding the Ministry’s review of SPH Media following their admission of falsification of circulation data (a) what are the terms of reference of this review; (b) when did this review begin and when will it be completed; (c) what have the findings been so far; (d) whether the report will be made public; and (e) what are the conditions under which public funding to SPH Media will be removed or reduced.
4) Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what was the source of the figures cited on 10 May 2021 in Parliament that SPH’s newspapers’ circulation had grown by 5% and The Straits Times’ circulation had grown by 20% from 2017 to 2020; (b) how much bearing did this data have on the Government’s decision to fund SPH Media; and (c) whether the Minister still considers this data reliable in light of recent admissions by SPH Media.
5) Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether individuals involved in initiating and perpetuating the inflated circulation figures in SPH Media Trust have been referred to the police for further investigation; and (b) if so, how many have been referred to the police for further investigation.
6) Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what actions will be taken against SPH Media Trust (SMT) to hold it accountable for the inconsistencies in the reported daily circulation data; and (b) whether there will be a review to the Government’s previous announcement that it will fund SMT and provide up to $900 million in funding support over the next five years.
