SINGAPORE, Feb 8 — A former chief executive officer of insurance firm AON Singapore, Collin Chiew, was on Thursday (Feb 8) charged with obtaining S$668,000 in bribes while he headed AON, and later as a director at another insurance firm.

The bribes were allegedly paid by three individuals linked to Fullerton Healthcare Group (FHG), a company which operates several clinics in Singapore.

The three were charged on Thursday with giving bribes to Chiew and falsifying accounts, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in a statement.

On Thursday, Chiew, 56, was also handed a money laundering charge for allegedly using criminal proceeds to buy a landed property, the CPIB said.

This is the second time Chiew has been charged in court over corruption.

In December, he was accused of obtaining S$240,000 in bribes on two occasions between Dec 2017 and May 2018 from FHG through Straits Priority Consulting.

On Thursday, Chiew was charged with three additional counts of corruptly obtaining gratification, in relation to S$384,000 of bribes that he allegedly obtained as CEO of AON Singapore from 2015 to 2018.

Chiew is accused of receiving the monies over multiple occasions from Chan Pai Sheng, Daniel, who was former director of FHG, as inducements to advance the business interest of the healthcare company with AON Singapore.

In relation to this, Chan, a 50-year-old Singaporean, who is also former director of Fullerton Health and former president of Fullerton Health China, was charged with four counts of conspiring with two others to corruptly give bribes to Chew.

The two individuals are Singaporeans Tan Kim Song Michael, 50, and David Sin, 44.

Tan is a former director of FHG while Sin is a former president and former board chairman of Fullerton Healthcare Corporation.

Chiew also faces one count of obtaining bribes in 2019 as director of AIA Hong Kong.

He allegedly obtained S$320,000 in gratification from Chan over four occasions, as inducements to advance the business interests of FHG with AIA Hong Kong.

Chan and Sin each face one count of conspiring to corruptly give gratifications to Chiew over this alleged offence.

Chan was also charged with eight counts of falsifying accounts.

He allegedly falsified entertainment claims from 2016 to 2019 to defraud Fullerton Healthcare Corporation and Fullerton Health China into paying him about S$440,666, when the actual entertainment expenses incurred was about S$169,719.

He had allegedly used the amounts claimed to pay bribes to Chiew.

Tan and Sin also respectively face one count and eight counts of allegedly conspiring with Chan to falsify accounts.

A corruption offence attracts a penalty of five years’ jail, a fine of up to S$100,000, or both.

If convicted of a money laundering offence under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, a person can be imprisoned for up to 10 years, fined up to S$500,000, or both.

A person convicted of falsifying accounts can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined, or both. — TODAY