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UPDATE: BP Singapore bunker bribery case

BP Regional Compliance Director took to the stand on Thursday to define the firm’s Code of Conduct.
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The trial of former BP Singapore Regional Marine Manager Clarence Chang continued at the State Courts of Singapore on Thursday.

Chang was facing 20 charges for allegedly accepting bribes totalling USD $3.95 million from Koh Seng Lee, the sole shareholder and executive director of Pacific Prime Trading (PPT) between the period of July 31, 2006 and July 26, 2010.

Theresa Zapiecki, BP’s Regional Compliance Director, Global Oil Eastern Hemisphere, Ethics & Compliance – Integrated Supply and Trading took to the stand to testify that Chang breached the oil major’s Code of Conduct and Global Trading Guidelines.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke-Yue told Zapiecki to elaborate on BP’s stand on the conduct of Chang who was suspected of setting up PPT with Koh and positioning the company to be the approved counterparty of BP Singapore.

“Under the BP code of conduct this is a conflict of interest and should be disclosed to the line manager, with legal and compliance getting involved for litigation,” she told the court.

“If Chang had gone to his line manager and disclosed the development prior to setting up the company [PPT], his line manager would have engaged compliance and legal as a minimum to define boundaries to mitigate conflict of interest; perhaps removing some job responsibilities around the counterparty or even not including the firm [PPT] as trading partner.”

Zapiecki further explained that if BP had found out about Chang’s alleged role in PPT after its creation, the oil major would have suspended him pending internal investigations.

An investigation report would have been presented at an internal disciplinary hearing; specially citing the Code of Conduct, a decision will have been made around misconduct with penalty being in the range from suspension or warning letter to termination.

According to Zapiecki, the Integrated Supply and Trading arm of BP which Chang was previously employed at is the only section in BP which is involved in physical trades; this exposes him to a different risk profile that requires him to follow additional compliance covering market manipulations, unfair trading activities, anti-competition rules, and collusion in trading behaviour and business communications. 

Chang voided compliance when he sent an internal message to Koh suggesting certain trading instructions.

The alleged instructions recommended PPT to trade 250,000 mt of bunkers per month, and “pass all terms with good pricing to BP first for spot trading at MOPS flat or 500 cSt plus two.”

Information gained from the instructions allowed BP to know how much PPT intends to purchase and could create a preferable trading environment to be used to inflate the price; it also discloses the margins and costs of BP, notes Zapiecki.

BP’s Code of Conduct was also violated when Chang recommended Koh to invest in his wife’s business, resulting in Koh investing SGD $500,000 for Mindchamps City Square between 2009 to 2010.

“If BP found out about this, he will have been put into suspension and investigations kicked off,” she says.

“A review of business communications, interviews to determine what Code of Conduct and Trading Guideline violations will have been made to check if he violated employment contract guidelines.

“If found, the penalty could range from warning letter to termination.”

The next trial at the State Courts of Singapore is scheduled for 24 July.

Related: BP Singapore bunker bribery case continues

Photo credit: Chensiyuan / CC BY-SA 4.0
Published: 12 July, 2018
 

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Winding up

Singapore: High Court to hear Norvic Shipping Asia winding up application on 31 July

Application for the winding up of Norvic Shipping Asia Pte Ltd was filed by Netherlands-registered Mur Shipping BV on 8 April, according to Government Gazette notice.
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July 22, 2026

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RESIZED singapore high court

An application for the winding up of Norvic Shipping Asia Pte Ltd was filed by Netherlands-registered Mur Shipping BV on 8 April, according to a Tuesday (21 July) notice on the Government Gazette.

It noted the winding up application is directed to be heard before the Judge sitting in the General Division of the High Court at 10am on 31 July.

Any creditor or contributory of the company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the winding up application may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose.

A copy of the winding up application will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the company requiring the copy of the winding up application by the solicitors of the applicant’s, Oon & Bazul LLC, on payment of the regulated charge for the same.

The Applicant’s address is Hiridostraat 5, Gebouw Prismatrium, 1101CW Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Applicant’s solicitors are Oon & Bazul LLC of 103 Penang Rd, #04-04/05/06 Singapore 238467. 

Queries on the winding up application may be directed to the following email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected].

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 22 July, 2026

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Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

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July 21, 2026

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Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July). 

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions. 

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

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July 21, 2026

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

  • That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

  • that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
  • that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
  • that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd. 

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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