[UPDATE on Friday, Dec. 29 at 7:35pm: adding statement from SMRT]

Four Singaporeans were charged in court on Friday, December 29, with conspiring and cheating SMRT Trains Ltd of a hefty $9.8 million in contracts awarded to a company they allegedly secretly had interests in between 2007 and 2012.

The four men are:

1. Jamalludin Bin Jumari, 61, a former manager at SMRT Trains Ltd.
2. Zakaria Bin Mohamed Shariff, 59, a former assistant engineer at SMRT Trains Ltd.
3. Zulkifli Bin Marwi, 52, a current line manager at SMRT Trains Ltd.
4. Akbar Ali Bin Tambishahib, 60, a director of Enovation Industries Pte Ltd/ Enovation Technologies Pte Ltd.

Over the course of the five-year period, Jamalludin, Zakaria, and Zulkifli allegedly conspired to cover up their interest in Akbar's companies Enovation Industries and Enovation Technologies (EI/ET) to SMRT, and allowing EI and ET to win contracts from SMRT worth $9.8 million.

According to Channel NewsAsia, the amount for each purchase order ranged between S$3,700 and S$3.9 million.

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According to a press release from the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB), Jamalludin fled to Malaysia in 2013. After "recently" being found by Malaysian authorities, he was brought back to Singapore to face charges.

Cheating and dishonestly inducing a delivery of property can result in imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, as well as a fine. 

Yahoo News reported that all four men intend to contest their charges.

SMRT reported them to CPIB in 2012

In a statement shared with Mothership on Friday evening, a spokesperson for SMRT said the company had referred its three employees to the CPIB back in 2012, after it completed internal investigations into their suspected wrongdoing.

Here's what they say in full:

"SMRT referred this case to CPIB in 2012 for their investigation. This followed immediately after internal investigations by the company to find out the nature and extent of suspected wrongdoing. We note the charges filed by CPIB today and await the outcome of the proceedings."

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Top image by SMRT.