Former SMU associate director admits accepting bribes totalling over $472k

SINGAPORE – An associate director of business development at Singapore Management University (SMU) Academy accepted bribes totalling more than $472,000 from three men who were then directors of different firms.

The prosecution said Christopher Tan Toh Nghee, 46, who is no longer working for SMU Academy, the training arm of the university, accepted the cash from Kenneth Lum Hsien Loong, Jeffery Long Chee Kin and Cher Kheng Than.

Tan pleaded guilty on July 1 to 16 charges, including multiple counts of graft.

At the time of the offences, Cher was the sole shareholder and director of marketing services firm CJ Synergy (CJS). Long was the managing director of a similar company called Assetualize (AST).

Cher, then 46, was sentenced to a year in jail on Feb 20 and Long, then 45, was sentenced to 13 months’ jail in September 2023.

Lum, 47, was then the director of International Alliance Marketing (IAM), which dealt in electronic products. His case is pending.

At the time of the offences, Tan was a business development associate director at SMU Academy’s service operations and business improvement (Sobi) sub-department. His job scope included overseeing revenue, sales and programme management for Sobi. The sub-department also engaged partners to assist in marketing its courses.

Tan and Long first met during national service and were later posted to the same reservist unit.

In or around late 2018, Tan asked Long if he was interested in becoming a marketing partner to promote courses for SMU Academy.

Long agreed, and a service agreement was executed between SMU and AST on Jan 1, 2019.

Long later successfully referred two applicants for enrolment in SMU Academy.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Phua said some time in or around February 2019, Tan informed Long that he wanted $600 for each enrolment.

In earlier proceedings, the DPP told the court: “(Tan) wanted a cut of the commissions AST received from SMU Academy. (Long) understood that he had to give Tan a portion of AST’s earnings in order to advance the business interests of AST with SMU Academy.”

In total, Tan corruptly accepted gratification totalling $71,300 from Long.

Separately, Tan and Cher got to know each other when they were schoolmates at Temasek Junior College. Some time between June and September 2018, the pair reconnected at a gathering.

In December 2018, Tan suggested that Cher help him at SMU to develop a new course called Advanced Certificate in Entrepreneurship. Tan added that Cher could work for SMU Academy as a marketing partner under a commission-based structure.

In January 2019, Cher set up CJS for the sole purpose of working with SMU to provide marketing services.

Before starting work for SMU, Cher also had a discussion with people including Tan and Long.

The prosecutor said Cher found out that Tan was receiving a one-third cut of the commissions of another SMU Academy marketing partner.

Cher then decided to give the bribes to secure the opportunity to be a marketing partner.

Tan corruptly accepted gratification totalling $62,800 from Cher.

The court heard that Tan got to know Lum through a mutual friend in 2016.

Lum later contacted Tan to try to market IAM’s services to him, asking if SMU needed items such as audiovisual equipment to be built or installed.

In November 2016, Tan engaged IAM on behalf of the university to build a board that could be used for video production.

Over multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019, Tan accepted cash from Lum in exchange for favouring IAM and ensuring its continued business with SMU.

He accepted bribes totalling nearly $338,000 from Lum.

Tan will be sentenced on July 22.

For each count of graft, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.