Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

A former Land Transport Authority (LTA) deputy group director pleaded guilty on Aug. 26 to receiving S$1.24 million in bribes from 2016 to 2018, consisting of loans from contractors and sub-contractors, CNA and The Straits Times reported.

Henry Foo Yung Thye, 46, pleaded guilty to seven charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Another 29 charges, consisting of graft and cheating, will be taken into consideration during his sentencing.

He took the money to advance the business interests of contractors and subcontractors.

He was with the agency for more than 21 years, having joined LTA on Aug. 10, 1999.

He oversaw the construction of MRT Stations and tunnels such as Havelock, Stevens, Great World, Napier and Orchard as the director for the Thomson-East Coast Line Civil Team 3 and deputy group director of Thomson-East Coast and Cross Island lines.

Foo was chairman of the tender evaluation committee and was one of the evaluating personnel for LTA contracts and subcontracts under the TEL and Cross Island Lines.

He held other posts in his time in LTA.

Of the S$1.24 million he took, Foo made restitution of S$83,750.

A balance of S$1,156,250 has not been paid.

How he got caught

Court documents stated that an anonymous complaint was sent to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in October 2018 that Foo had been soliciting loans from subcontractors involved with projects under his charge.

An additional tip-off informed CPIB that Foo had requested financial help from the director of China Railway Tunnel Group to pay off his outstanding personal debts.

It was discovered that the father of two had corruptly obtained bribes in the form of loans from contractors and subcontractors to advance their business interests with LTA, CPIB found.

Foo oversaw S$815 million worth of contracts that these companies had with LTA.

The court heard that Foo was involved with loan sharks.

Prosecution seeking more than 6 years jail

The Deputy Public Prosecutor sought a jail term of six years and three months.

She described the case as “the most significant case of public sector corruption” in recent times due to the amount of money involved and the number of givers and vendor companies implicated.

The DPP added that Foo abused his power and disclosed confidential information to companies, as he actively and repeatedly sought monetary gratification, despite the contractors initially rejecting Foo’s demands.

Defence sought more lenient sentence

In mitigation, Foo’s lawyer, who told the court he was representing the accused pro bono and that they had known each other since they were children, asked for no more than three years and 10 months jail.

He argued that LTA's system of checks and balances meant Foo had little influence over tender outcomes.

The defence lawyer also said Foo had cooperated with the police and saved resources, and he had intended to plead guilty when proceedings began.

LTA also did not suffer any monetary losses, the court heard.

An evaluation by the Institute of Mental Health found Foo to have a pathological gambling disorder.

The DPP countered that Foo's action can lead to public concern over the soundness of projects and the accused's actions impact LTA's credibility.

Contractors were also worried that Foo would make things difficult for them if his demands were not met, the DPP argued.

Foo will appear in court again on Sep. 2 for sentencing.

Follow and listen to our podcast here

Top photos via LTA YouTube