Former MFA official pleads guilty to overstating pineapple tart claims

[SINGAPORE] Lim Cheng Hoe, the former public servant accused of inflating his pineapple tart claims, yesterday pleaded guilty to all the charges against him - even as he explained that he did so only to make up for the other diplomatic expenses that he had incurred out of his own pocket.

The 61-year-old former chief of protocol with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) admitted to 10 charges of cheating, amounting to $35,160 worth of inflated claims. The remaining 50 charges against him will be taken into consideration for his sentencing.

The prosecution yesterday asked for Lim to be jailed for 18 months for his offences - six months for each charge, and for at least three of the charges to run consecutively.