SINGAPORE – The former chief operating officer (COO) of a Singaporean company that sells animal feed was charged on July 24 with handing bribes to a manager at a Malaysian company.

Hooi Siew Yan, 68, was charged with one count of corruption, as well as two charges of falsification of accounts.

According to a press release from Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), Hooi, a Singaporean, was the managing director of MJI Universal from July 2007 to November 2019, before becoming its COO until November 2022.

According to company records, MJI’s primary activity is classified under the category of wholesale agricultural raw materials and live animals, while a post on MyCareersFuture.sg said the company specialised in the import and export of feed ingredients, such as feed products, grain and meal commodities. 

Between 2019 and 2020, on eight to 10 occasions in Kuala Lumpur, Hooi is alleged to have given bribes in the form of cash amounting to at least US$100,000 (S$128,000) to a procurement manager of a Malaysian company, identified in court documents as Chee Yew Teng.

This was done through a middleman, identified as Ng Kwok Chyuan, and was an alleged reward to further the business interest between MJI and the Malaysian company named in court documents as Charoen Pokphand Malaysia.

Under the Prevention of Corruption Act, a Singapore citizen who commits a corruption offence outside of Singapore may be dealt with as if that offence had been committed within Singapore, CPIB noted.

Between December 2020 and July 2022, Hooi allegedly instigated Ng to submit 35 invoices to MJI with inflated payments amounting to about US$72,500. The invoices were from a firm called NK Nutraceuticals, where Ng was director.

Hooi is said to have done this in conspiracy with two other MJI employees – identified as Toru Sato and Chua Lay Peng – with the intent to defraud the Singaporean company.

According to court records, Hooi did not indicate during the hearing on July 24 if he will be pleading guilty or claiming trial to his charges.

His case is scheduled for a further mention in court on Aug 28.

If convicted of corruption, Hooi can be jailed for up to five years, fined up to $100,000, or both.

Those found guilty of engaging in a conspiracy to make false entries in papers can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined, or both, for each charge.

As Hooi’s two charges related to this offence involve two or more alleged incidents of the commission of the same offence, he can face twice the amount of punishment for each charge.

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