The former employee of a research facility in Singapore was found guilty of soliciting bribes from various suppliers
Former Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) employee Yu Jiarong was recently slapped with a 3 ½ year jail sentence for taking bribes amounting to $200,000.
He was also ordered to either pay a penalty of more than two hundred thousand dollars or default to an additional 40 weeks in jail. Yu chose the latter.
The 39-year-old was a former facilities engineer at the school’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and was tasked with “recommending quotations for services to the IME for his supervisor’s approval,” said The Straits Times report.
The Deputy Public Prosecutor’s (DPP) office reported that Yu’s schemes of corruption began in 2011 when he asked one of IME’s suppliers, Contech Engineering, to give him a ‘commission’ on future jobs.
In the next couple of years, Yu “engaged in a further scheme of corruption involving the advancement of the business interests of three [other] companies - Techfield Engineering Services (TES), Yield Engineering Solutions (YES) and Techfield Solutions (TSPL) - with IME.”
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CIPB) was also part of the investigation into Yu’s crimes and recently spoke to HRD on ways that HR can prevent employees from becoming corrupt. The focus, they said, should be on training and development.
“At orientation for new recruits, it will be useful for HR to set the tone and underscore the company’s commitment to carry out transactions honestly and with integrity. Furthermore, as part of a training framework for existing employees, [HR] may introduce a training programme on compliance and ethics or expand on existing one,” said their spokesperson.
“During such training, the employees learn what constitutes corruption, are alerted of areas which are susceptible to corruption while being kept informed of the corruption prevention measures, systems and processes in their organisation,” he added.
