Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) senior vice-president Peter Khoo was charged in court yesterday for misappropriating shopping vouchers to the tune of $23,000 while he was the organising chairman of the activities and events for the School Pocket Money Fund. That plus obtaining monetary gratifications from related shady business deals between July 2006 and August 2010.
The nation had yet to come to grips with last week's exposé regarding Chief of Protocol with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lim Cheng Hoe's fiddling with his expense claims for overseas trips. A guy who was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2009, and careerist veteran of 38 years playing host for countless VVIP visits. No information is given about the monetary sums involved, but whatever amount he pocketed, he will be paying for it in spades.
It is doubtful either high flier will come close to pilfering anything like the $14 million Public Utilities Board deputy chief Choy Hon Tim parked away in a Hongkong bank account in 1995. Or the $800,000 Minister for National Development Teh Cheang Wan's palms were greased with in 1982. Those were the real pros.
The new record breaker has to be the pastor of City Harvest Church, out on bail for misconduct and mismanagement of $23 millions, bulk of which went to bankroll the raunchy music career of the rock-star preacher's wife, pop singer wannabe Ho Yeow Sun. Unfazed by the revelations, entrepreneur and founder of 77th Street Elim Chew, 45, reinforced her endorsement of the super couple, declaring "a family comes together in challenging times".
Sigh, the antics of these characters really make it difficult to hold one's head high as a Singaporean. Thanks to them, "Most probably you're from China" would soon be welcomed as a compliment.
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LOL.. This is funny. Yes, soon Singapore will become part of China.
ReplyDeleteoh..we are just warming up then.
ReplyDeleteStill waiting for a mini Bo-Xilai saga to be exposed in mini china land.
The CHC was built as a society in 1993. Today they were able to buy a $310m suntec hall, with hidden fund of several hundred millions, plus faked donations and tithed transfer etc. Once an entity/individual start to deal with this kind of large amount, $23m will start to look like chum change. Despite touting 19years of growth, integrity, transparency and proper governance and auditing by accounting firm, what can still be uncovered here?
ReplyDeleteThen imagine a SWF built decades ago, holding several billions with hidden funds and secret transactions all over the world by really smart people, with no transparency and open governance, accountability & check & balance, what do you think can be uncovered there?
If people can steal $23,000 thousand from children's pocket fund to $23,000,000 million from god's fund, what else do you think people can steal?
http://www.baldingsworld.com/2012/06/20/the-importance-of-economic-capture-and-government-surpluses/
DeleteYa lor. There're higher fliers who are stewing the soup.
You and I are just the ingredients.
If there are corruptions in the SWF, will they take actions? The amount of the missing funds will likely be too big to disclose!
DeleteThe plot sounds very familiar!
DeleteWe need another whistle-blower.
Delete$23billion is not unthinkable?!
DeleteIt was reported Qaddafi stole $200billions from his people.
'There was a concerted effort to conceal this movement of funds from its stakeholders,'' the statement said."
DeleteHere is what I want to know.
If a church, charity or religious group of such size is expected to have full transparency with no concealment to its stakeholders, then why does this same rule or moral not apply to our SWF? Are we the citizens not stakeholders?
Well, the PAP is "holier than thou." It can do no wrong - NOT!
DeleteSingapore is actually a sleazy and sinful city. This is the place for rich foreigners and greedy tyrannical foreign politicians (from Myanmar, North Korea, Zimbabwe) to hide their ill-gotten gains. We have a nice description for this - wealth management!
ReplyDeleteBecause of this, Singapore cannot co-operate with the Indonesia government to extradite those Indonesians who are hiding them with their money. If Singapore is to do so, those money will be gone.
Therefore, we shouldn't be surprised to see such corruption cases. This is only the tip of the ice-berg.
Singapore is just like a high-class prostitute, always read to "jump into bed" with anyone who has the money!
You need to include China, India, Russia,......
Deletehttp://www.moneycontrol.com/news/features/singapore-turns-down-indias-request-for-information_722678.html
Let's put it in perspective.
ReplyDeleteMCYS to spend $13m to build 6 children's' home.
If CHC can spend that $23m, it can probably help build 12 children's homes.
As opposed to making a significant change to help one diva, how many lives have they helped here with millions sitting on their funds?
Agree, and probably have enough spare change to cover the school pocket money fund.
DeleteSo far only Elim Chew is supporting the superstar couple, how about Jack Neo and others ?
Imagin 33,000 members bring their families and friends, Jack Neo can easily sell 100,000 tickets with the help of CHC for his movie. If I were Jack, I will also want to join.
DeleteI actually LOLed when I read "wannabe", LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteFunny how people are so willing to give tithes to the church. Are they doing this bcos of :
ReplyDeletei) God ask thme to do so - well God didnt say so in the bible, it was man who wrote it that way. Anyway why in the world god needs $$$? If God needs $$$ then why are we mortals praying for $$$?
God ask u to watch and improve your character not give $$$.
ii) getting a passport to Heaven? If dats the case, no wonder it is so easy for those type of Christians to do evil in this secular world/speak bad about others/condem others bcos they are sadists. My wife is one of them.
Man at the end is the culprit, not God.
DeleteWhat did Jesus say about tithing?
DeleteLuke 11:42
"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."
Justice and the love of God is more important than the collecting of money. That's where Kong Hee got it wrong.
If every cent from donations/tithes went back to society -help those who lost their jobs and still cannot find jobs bcos, then it's OK> Wat rubbish to fund his wife's sin ging career. In the first place I dont buy dat - he was siphoning $$$ using his wife as a front.
ReplyDeletebingo
DeleteAbsolute power corrupts absolutely. We heard that agian and again. Whats new? Its the members to be blamed!
Deletethe diehard members of CHC have kind of similar mindset as the 60% who support the MIW...innate desire to swallow
Delete"Thanks to them, "Most probably you're from China" would soon be welcomed as a compliment."
ReplyDeleterotflmao
"No information is given about the monetary sums involved, but whatever amount he pocketed, he will be paying for it in spades.
ReplyDelete"
Apparently the amount is so obscene that it cannot be made known to the public. You can imagine how large it is then, as large as your imagination !
So what's the lesson here?
ReplyDeleteTrust, but verify.
How to verify?
Vote in more Opposition MPs.
How to get more Opposition MPs?
60% of your friends & relatives voted for the Pro Alien Party.
Convert one of them to vote Opposition.
If everybody does this.
Then 40% becomes 80%.
Is it possible that the pastor is so powerful that he becomes a target?
ReplyDeleteYou saying these are trumped up charges ? The facts are pretty clear here. Two other balanced blog posts: -
Deletehttp://septian.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/the-curious-case-of-pastoral-infallibility/
http://joeljoshuagoh.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/on-the-kong-hee-scandal/
Possibe. Years before exposed by whistle blower, nothing happened to him. But after he bought the $300m> suntec stake, he is finished. Before this, no one think he so powderful. After this different. He is seen as a threat. Wat u think?
DeleteJust imagine, one fine Sunday he tells the congreation that God has revealed to him to stand for elections or given him a mandate to convert Singapore into a Christian country. What would happen? What is impossible? Using $50 million trying to make the wife a rock star to beat the Devil at its own game? We have to be very careful when dealing with religions. We must have a secular government where all religions have a place under the sun.
DeleteAnon@11:10,
DeleteYou don't understand Singapore politics. Why do you think certain people got away scot-free? If the guy in the polling station were JBJ or LTK, do you seriously think he would have gotten away? Once you (e.g. CSJ) are in their crosshair, you will make sure you go down one way or another. They are paranoid of (politically) powerful people.
There is only one word to describe these sheep in wolf's clothing : Despicable.
ReplyDeleteJust wonder whether LKY & son would still want to insist that in order not to be corrupt, you need to pay them well. As if the poor honest man in the street is more susceptible to be more corrupt than any rich dishonest cheat, LKY no ?