Slight rise in corruption-related reports last year, most cases probed came from private sector

GRAFT-RELATED reports rose by 4 per cent last year, from 239 in 2020 to 249 in 2021, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) on Thursday (May 5).

About 33 per cent - or 83 of the reports received last year - were registered for investigation, the bureau added in releasing its annual statistics. This is a slight drop from the 81 reports probed in 2020.

A report is registered for investigation if there is enough evidence for the CPIB to investigate. This is determined by the quality of relevant information provided.

The bureau said: “The corruption situation in Singapore remains firmly under control... Singapore’s anti-corruption efforts continue to be well-regarded internationally.”

The Republic ranked fourth out of 180 countries in last year’s Corruption Perception Index.

The conviction rate for CPIB cases in 2021 was 98 per cent.

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One of these convictions involved an assistant engineer of the Public Utilities Board, Jamaludin Mohamed, 58.

He was jailed for more than 11 months last year for accepting S$45,169 in bribes from Ganisan Suppiah, a project manager of water and gas pipeline subcontractor Pipe Works.

Ganisan was sentenced to 7 months and 2 weeks’ jail.

Jamaludin had approached Ganisan with an offer to facilitate and expedite the work being done by the company in exchange for money.

“While CPIB has not observed an increase in the number of corruption cases in Singapore during the Covid-19 pandemic, we take such cases seriously and will not hesitate to take firm enforcement action as they can have wider consequences,” the agency said.

As with previous years, the vast majority of corruption cases probed came from the private sector, with 74 registered last year, making up 89 per cent of all cases registered for investigation by the bureau.

Of these, 9 involved public sector employees - from the police and Ministry of Manpower - rejecting bribes offered by private sector individuals.

The number of public sector cases registered remained low last year, with 9 cases, and was similar to the annual average of the preceding 4 years.

CPIB said it partnered institutes of higher learning, such as Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), on digital projects that aim to cultivate integrity in youths.

One such initiative is Web game Corruzione, which helps young people learn about corruption issues in an interactive way.

“An animated educational series targeting lower primary and pre-school children is being developed,” said the bureau on its ongoing partnership with NYP.

Those with information on corruption cases can contact CPIB anonymously by writingto CPIB Headquarters at 2 Lengkok Bahru, by calling 1800-376-0000, by lodging an e-complaint (http://www.cpib.gov.sg/e-services/e-complaint-for-corrupt-conduct), or e-mailing report@cpib.gov.sg. THE STRAITS TIMES