{"id":49655,"date":"2026-05-04T11:31:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T03:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=49655"},"modified":"2026-05-04T11:31:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T03:31:35","slug":"jail-term-cut-for-man-who-gave-bribes-to-smu-academy-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=49655","title":{"rendered":"Jail term cut for man who gave bribes to SMU academy staff"},"content":{"rendered":"


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SINGAPORE \u2013 A company director who gave more than $216,000 in bribes to an employee of the Singapore Management University (SMU) has had his jail sentence almost halved to a year and three months on appeal. <\/p>\n

Kenneth Lum Hsien Loong was originally handed two years and four months\u2019 jail by a district judge in October 2024<\/span><\/a> for giving bribes to Christopher Tan Toh Nghee. The latter was then an associate director of business development at SMU Academy, the university\u2019s professional training arm. <\/p>\n

Lum, 48, who was found guilty of 10 charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) following a trial, appealed against his conviction and sentence. <\/p>\n

On April 29, a three-judge High Court panel allowed the appeal against sentence as it found that the original jail term was manifestly excessive, given the low levels of harm and culpability involved. <\/p>\n

In its written judgment, the court said it was not clear that SMU and third parties had suffered any tangible or quantifiable loss as a result of the corrupt transactions. <\/p>\n

The judges pointed out that it was Tan who initiated the request for kickbacks after Lum\u2019s company, a marketing and events firm, entered into a business arrangement with SMU.<\/p>\n

Tan, who received more than $472,000\u00a0in bribes from Lum and two other men, was sentenced to 3\u00bd years in jail\u00a0in July 2024<\/span><\/a>. The other two men were also convicted and jailed.<\/p>\n

Lum paid the bribes to preserve a legitimate business relationship rather than to secure an opportunity that he would not have otherwise had, the court said.<\/p>\n

He also did not actively seek to subvert SMU\u2019s interests, the court added.<\/p>\n

The appeal against conviction had earlier been dismissed by the court on March 18.<\/p>\n

The sole issue that Lum disputed in his appeal against conviction was whether SMU was a \u201cpublic body\u201d as defined in the PCA. <\/p>\n

Under the PCA, a person who gives or receives bribes faces an enhanced maximum penalty of seven years\u2019 jail, rather than five years\u2019 jail, if the offence involved contracts with a government department or a public body.<\/p>\n

The PCA defines a public body as a body \u201cwhich has power to act under and for the purposes of any written law relating to… undertakings or public utility\u201d or \u201cotherwise to administer money levied or raised by rates or charges\u201d. <\/p>\n

The interpretation of the components of the definition was the focal point of the arguments on appeal. <\/p>\n

A key point of contention was the meaning of the phrases \u201cundertakings or public utility\u201d and \u201cmoney levied or raised by rates or charges\u201d.<\/p>\n

The parties agreed that \u201cundertakings or public utility\u201d should be read as \u201cundertakings of public utility\u201d to rectify an obvious drafting error in 1960. <\/p>\n

The court, comprising Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice Tay Yong Kwang and Justice See Kee Oon, ruled that SMU satisfied the definition of a \u201cpublic body\u201d.<\/p>\n

The judges held that SMU is empowered under the SMU Act, which is a written law relating to tertiary education, which is an undertaking of public utility.<\/p>\n

They also concluded that the SMU is empowered to administer public funds. <\/p>\n

Lum was a director of International Alliance Marketing (IAM), a company he founded. <\/p>\n

In 2017, it entered into an agreement to market and promote SMU Academy\u2019s courses in return for a commission. <\/p>\n

The firm and SMU also entered into another agreement where IAM provided call centre management services for a flat monthly management fee.<\/p>\n

IAM was also engaged on an ad hoc basis to run roadshows to promote and market SMU Academy\u2019s courses for a flat fee. <\/p>\n

After IAM became a marketing partner of SMU Academy, Tan asked Lum to enter into a kickback arrangement. <\/p>\n

Lum agreed to pay Tan 25 per cent of IAM\u2019s monthly earnings from SMU Academy and a monthly call centre management fee of $3,500. <\/p>\n

Some time after May 2019, Tan told Lum that other marketing partners had agreed to give him a higher cut, and sought an increase in his cut.<\/p>\n

Lum agreed to give Tan a 30 per cent cut of IAM\u2019s monthly earnings from SMU Academy if they exceeded $100,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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