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SINGAPORE: Three former Shell Eastern Petroleum employees who are accused of participating in a plot to steal fuel from the oil giant’s Pulau Bukom refinery were charged in court on Tuesday (February 23) with corruption offenses.
The men are accused of bribing employees of several surveying companies contracted by Shell to inspect the ships to which Shell supplied fuel, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Office (CPIB) said. They were also previously charged for their alleged involvement in the misappropriation of fuel from Shell Bukom.
Former Shell staff members Juandi Pungot, 44, and Muzaffar Ali Khan Muhamad Akram, 40, allegedly conspired to give bribes totaling around US $ 91,900 (Singapore $ 121,600) to 10 employees of various companies. pollsters between 2014 and 2017. These were given as “rewards for refraining from accurately reporting the amount of diesel loaded on the vessels they were contracted to inspect,” CPIB said in a press release.
Juandi and Muzaffar each face 13 charges under the Prevention of Corruption Law, of which seven were merged.
READ: Former Shell employee admits to conspiring to embezzle $ 49 million worth of diesel from Pulau Bukom site
READ: Oil tanker director jailed in Singapore $ 3.5 million Shell oil theft
The third employee, Richard Goh Chee Keong, 51, allegedly gave bribes totaling about $ 25,000 to three employees of various polling companies between 2016 and 2017.
CPIB said the bribes were given as a reward or incentive “for refraining from accurately reporting the amount of diesel loaded on the vessels they were committed to inspecting.” Goh faces four charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Anyone convicted of a corruption offense can be fined up to S $ 100,000, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
READ: Beyond the Shell Bukom heist, a deeper look at how marine fuel is stolen in Singapore
The trio are among nearly a dozen Shell employees charged in the largest theft of marine fuel from Shell’s Pulau Bukom refinery. Also involved are employees of a major Singapore fuel supplier, a London-listed company that certifies fuel quantities, and a Vietnamese shipping company.
Reuters reported in 2018 that around S $ 200 million worth of oil was stolen from the Shell refinery, which is its largest petrochemical production and export hub in Asia-Pacific, over several years.
“Singapore takes a strict zero tolerance approach to corruption,” said CPIB.
“Companies are strongly encouraged to implement robust procedures in areas such as procurement and internal auditing to avoid being the victims of corruption by their employees.”
