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SINGAPORE: A man who previously ran three subsidiaries of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is accused of misleading the school in a case involving more than S $ 231,000, by approving deals with other companies despite conflicts of interest.
Viktor Cheng Choong Hung, 56, claimed trial on Monday (September 14) on 43 counts, mostly of cheating, conspiracy to deceive NTU and its subsidiaries, and concealment of criminal proceeds between 2014 and 2016.
At the time of the crimes, Cheng was Infocom’s chief technology officer at NTUitive, director of business and operations at the Institute for Media Innovation (IMI), and CEO of Technbiz Xccelerator (TBX).
The three companies were subsidiaries of NTU aimed at commercializing various technologies researched by the university.
Due to his position, companies in which he was interested or over which he had control could not do business with NTUitive, IMI or TBX unless NTU was aware of the conflict of interest and had approved the transactions.
According to the initial statement of the prosecution at the trial, Cheng used different methods to carry out the crimes.
First, he approved the award of contracts by IMI worth S $ 18,000 and S $ 10,000 to the company I-Knowhow, which his co-defendant Louise Lai Pei Hsien headed as director. Cheng himself was in control of I-Knowhow as he searched for projects and business decisions for the company.
LEE: Woman imprisoned for conspiring with the former director of the NTU subsidiary to deceive the university
Cheng then arranged for I-Knowhow to hire NTU graduate Carmen Lu Jiawen after she had attended an interview with him for a position at TBX.
Cheng reportedly informed Lai of various contracts and asked him to submit quotes to IMI under the name I-Knowhow, which he approved in his capacity as IMI. Later, Lai would file tax bills concealing Cheng’s interests in I-Knowhow.
Cheng then ordered Lai to transfer most of the sums received from IMI by I-Knowhow to a bank account. The account was in the name of a citizen of China, but it actually belonged to Cheng.
Another way Cheng allegedly misled NTU was through his acquaintance, Fung Kwok Pan, who was the director of the Voidworks company.
Cheng used both I-Knowhow and Voidworks to secure projects outsourced by the three NTU subsidiaries he ran. When projects were secured, he would assign work to multiple researchers or engineers working with him at two of NTU’s subsidiaries rather than having I-Knowhow or Voidworks complete it.
When NTU graduate Lu resigned from TBX in June 2015, Cheng allegedly told her to continue working part-time at TBX while he kept up the ruse that she was still working full-time.
He then got Lu to transfer his monthly salary of S $ 3,500 for three months to a bank account that belonged to him.
The crimes led to S $ 231,000 being deposited into the bank accounts of I-Knowhow, Voidworks and Lu.
Cheng is accused of concealing these criminal proceedings by having Lai, Lu and Fung transfer the amounts to his bank account and by ensuring that the transfers were supported by documentation concealing their wrongdoing.
WITNESSES FOUND FOR TRIAL
Assistant Prosecutors Victoria Ting and Thiam Jia Min intend to call several witnesses during the trial, including NTU investigators and engineers who worked on the projects that were allegedly outsourced but assigned to them, NTU finance staff, Lu and investigative officers.
Cheng is represented by attorneys at Peter Low & Choo.
If found guilty of cheating, you could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each count. If convicted of concealing proceeds of crime, you could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to S $ 500,000 or both per charge.
His co-defendant Lai was jailed for one year and five months in November last year for her role in the case.
An NTU spokesperson told CNA in Cheng’s indictment that he was no longer in college and had left in June 2016.
NTU reported the matter to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Office in August 2016 as soon as it learned of the alleged wrongdoing, the spokesperson said.
He said the university could not comment as the matter was in court.
