Legal

Singapore: Former Petro-Diamond employee sentenced in court for accepting bribe

Former Head of IT at Petro-Diamond sentenced to a SGD 7,500 fine and a SGD 3,000 penalty for corruptly accepting SGD 3,000 from a vendor.

Published

5 years ago

April 26, 2021

Admin

The Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) on Thursday, (22 April) said Annamalai Arunachalam, a Singaporean male, who was the Head of IT of Petro-Diamond Singapore Pte Ltd (PDS), was sentenced to a SGD7,500 (USD 5,656) fine and a SGD 3,000 penalty for corruptly accepting SGD 3,000 from Palanivel Selvakumar (Selvakumar).

Selvakumar, also a Singaporean male, who was the Director of Sysnet Systems and Solutions Pte Ltd (SSS) at the time, had given the gratification as a reward for Arunachalam awarding a PDS project to SSS. Selvakumar was earlier sentenced to a fine of SGD 7,500 in July 2020 for this offence.

CPIB said its investigations revealed that sometime in 2016, PDS decided to move its office operations and required IT assistance to supply and install IT infrastructure in its new office premises.

SSS, an existing vendor of PDS, was one of the vendors who had submitted a quote for this project. When Arunachalam subsequently took over as PDS’ Head of IT in March 2016, one of his tasks was to review the different quotations and make recommendations to the Chief Financial Officer of PDS. Arunachalam also took over as Selvakumar’s point of contact with PDS, reported CPIB.

Subsequently, Selvakumar met Arunachalam to enquire about the status of the quotation to which Arunachalam informed that he was still assessing the quotations.

Arunachalam also shared that he was undergoing a lot of stress at work and was disappointed that he did not receive a pay raise despite having to manage two portfolios as Head of IT and Head of Risk Management Systems.

Selvakumar was concerned that Arunachalam would decide to step down as Head of IT or leave PDS, as he might not be able to maintain the same good relations between SSS and PDS if a new Head of IT replaced Arunachalam. Thus, he encouraged Arunachalam to remain as PDS’ Head of IT and suggested that SSS could offer him some form of ‘sales incentive’ if SSS was awarded the project.

Arunachalam did not respond to Selvakumar’s offer at the meeting. However, following his review of the quotations received, Arunachalam did eventually recommend to his CFO that the PDS Office Project be awarded to SSS.

SSS was awarded the project and eventually billed PDS a total of more than SGD 326,000 for the project. Subsequently, sometime between July and August 2016, Selvakumar gave Arunachalam SGD3,000 as a token of appreciation for awarding the project to SSS, and the latter accepted the monies.

Their acts of corruptly giving and accepting gratification as a reward for the awarding of the PDS Office Project to SSS constituted corruption offences and they were charged under Section 6(b) and 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act respectively on 1 July 2020.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 26 April, 2021

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.

Published

14 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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.

Published

14 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Liquidator of Nan Shan Maritime Pte Ltd issues notice of dividend

Third interim dividend to admitted unsecured claims of Nan Shan Maritime is payable from 15 July, according to Government Gazette notice.

Published

6 days ago

July 16, 2026

Admin

A notice of dividend for Nan Shan Maritime Pte Ltd, which is currently in creditors’ voluntary liquidation, was published on the Government Gazette on Wednesday (15 July).

The following are the details of the notice:

Name of Company : Nan Shan Maritime (Pte.) Ltd.(In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 201701967H
Address of Registered Office : 10 Anson Road, #10-10, International Plaza, Singapore 079903
Amount per centum : 5.00 Per Centum of all admitted unsecured, claims
First and Final or Otherwise : Third Interim
When Payable : 15 July 2026
Where Payable : Entitlements will be made by way of cheque.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 16 July, 2026