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Ex-group CEO of Apollo Aquaculture accused of using $450,000 bribe to pay for condo
Ng Woei Kiat (left) and Alan Koh Joon Seong indicated in court that they want to claim trial.
Ng Woei Kiat (left) and Alan Koh Joon Seong indicated in court that they want to claim trial.ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG
SINGAPORE – A former group chief executive officer of Apollo Aquaculture Group (AAG), which used to own one of Singapore’s tallest fish farms, allegedly took a bribe of $450,000 from another company director.
Ng Woei Kiat, 51, purportedly used the money to pay for the partial down payment for a condominium unit.
On Feb 20, Ng was charged with one count of obtaining a bribe, and another count of using his benefits from criminal conduct.
Alan Koh Joon Seong, 51, director of Alric Projects and Alric MEP Engineering, was handed one charge of giving Ng the bribe.
Both men indicated in court that they want to claim trial.
Charge sheets state that Ng allegedly obtained the bribe from Koh on Aug 24, 2018.
This was allegedly an inducement for not showing disfavour to Koh’s companies in their dealings with AAG.
The sum was purportedly used to pay for the partial down payment of $471,000 for a unit in Wak Hassan Drive. An online search shows this is the address of Watercove Ville, a condominium complex in Sembawang.
Separately, Ng, who was also a member of AAG’s board of directors at the time, was handed seven charges under the Companies Act.
Between 2018 and 2020, he allegedly failed to declare his interest in related-party transactions to the board of directors.
According to business records, Ng was a director at Alric MEP Engineering from July 2002 to February 2005. He has since stepped down and is no longer the director or owner of any companies.
His residential address is still listed as the condominium unit in Watercove Ville.
Ng does not have a lawyer. District Judge Lim Tse Haw adjourned the case for him to appoint a lawyer and for Koh’s lawyer to take instructions from his client.
Koh is represented by Mr Shashi Nathan, who told the court that Koh had been given permission to travel overseas and did so extensively while investigations were ongoing. The lawyer will be applying at another court mention for his client to travel.
The case will be heard again on March 13.
AAG’s subsidiary Apollo Aquarium used to own an eight-storey fish farm in Lim Chu Kang, which began operations in 2021.
The facility aimed to farm hybrid grouper and coral trout and was showcased as a high-tech farming solution that addressed Singapore’s land-scarcity constraints.
However, Apollo Aquarium ceased operations in early 2023 after AAG ran into financial difficulties and was placed under judicial management in May 2022.
The Straits Times reported in October 2024 that the $65 million fish farm was conditionally sold to local construction and engineering firm HPC Builders and Aquachamp, an investment holding company which has subsidiaries in the fish farming industry.
On the charging of the two men, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and police said in a joint statement on Feb 20 that Singapore has zero tolerance for corruption.
CPIB said it looks into all corruption-related complaints and reports, including anonymous ones.
Members of the public can contact CPIB via their website, e-mail, duty officer at 1800-376-0000, or by writing to CPIB’s headquarters.
Anyone convicted of corruption could be fined up to $100,000 and jailed for up to five years.
Those who use the benefits of criminal conduct could be fined up to $500,000 and jailed for up to 10 years.
Directors or CEOs of companies who fail to declare their interests under the Companies Act face a maximum fine of $5,000 or maximum 12 months’ jail.
Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.
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