SINGAPORE – For over two years, a town council’s general manager was treated to KTV sessions – including alcoholic drinks, tips for staff and flower garlands for lounge singers – by a director of two construction companies.
Wong Chee Meng, 59, also received other bribes from Chia Sin Lan, 63, such as a $13,500 discount on a used car and financial transfers totalling close to $27,800 to his mistress in China.
In exchange, Wong used his position as the general manager of Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) to influence the outcome of tenders that Chia’s companies were bidding for, such as by instructing staff to adjust tender scores in their favour.
On Monday (March 25), the duo pleaded guilty to the charges of corruption, ending a trial which had been held over several tranches since September 2018.
When Bribes Turn into KTV and Flower Petals: The Inside Story of Chia Sin Lan and Wong Victor
It wasn’t just the usual cash or gadgets, but KTV parties, juicy drinks and set‑topped garlands that somehow proved to be the secret sauce behind a multi‑handful of Singapore contracts. In the messy swirl of bribery that stretched from 2014 to 2016, the duo of Chia Sin Lan and Victor Wong appeared to wield more than $86,000 to influence a series of tenders for the two little firms they ran – 19‑ANC Enterprise and 19‑NS2 Enterprise.
The Bribe Buffet
- Party Pops. KTV sessions with extra-malted soft drinks, plus a lavish mix of tips for staff. Picture an impromptu karaoke contest where every chorus is a political move.
- Flower Frenzy. Lavishly arranged garlands for lounge singers – a gift that felt more like a starring role in a décor drama than a quiet Corporate gift.
- Sweet Surprises. A hungry 19‑ANC got a $13,500 spoiler discount on a Toyota Corolla Altis and a handful of mock‑up smirks to keep the rest of the market in the dark.
Wong’s Wobbly Walk‑through of Contracts
Victor Wong – the man who wore the generic “amused” smile in AMKTC’s office – was the general manager from 2013 until 2016. In September 2016, someone finally voiced the quiet dread: Wong was “beholden” to Chia and the two companies. Within a month, he was removed, and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau started digging.
At the crack of 2015, 19‑ANC was doing a respectable uptick in jobs awarded by AMKTC – a 2016 win that amounted to a whopping $121,150. That figure didn’t happen in isolation. The serving of low‑emission incense burners, a tender that booked 19‑ANC with the third highest bids for sustainability, was steered with a whisper of green.
When the contract for incense burners went to a run‑off, all it took was an extra push from Wong to nudge the evaluation scores in favour of 19‑ANC and push back the competition. The contract manager, on his whispered instructions, eventually dropped Uniquetech—the lowest bidder on paper—to make space for Chia’s side hustle.
- Wong froze the tender pool. “Less is less,” he told the staff, making use of a phrase you only hear in sub‑urban Chinese dramas.
- He told staff to mimic a thank‑you for 19‑ANC‘s eco‑friendly burners. The outcome? The other bidders could not compete on level ground because 19‑ANC already supplied the candles, a double edge that smacked badly at the tender house.
ITQs – The Convenient Shortcut
Contracts described the so‑called ITQ calls for non‑tender < $70,000 spur‑of‑the‑moment works. In this game, 19‑ANC automatically got on the list because Wong had a personal taste for the company, as if you’d get a favour and a warm hug at the same time.
The Final Countdown
Wong and Chia were initially pulled in on more than 50 charges – but the case got clipped into three admits each, totaling over $75,300 in bribe money:
- Speed‑Sales. A $13,500 discount for a Corolla – both clever and shameless.
- Babes & Affairs. Payments totalling $27,800 to Wong’s mistress – a line that almost feels like drama-tream.
- Entertainment Overload. KTV, massage parlours, and other splurges; a sum of over $34,000 – cinema sequels truly not in the script.
Besides the main three, there were extra side‑plots: Chia’s frees – a phone line given to Wong, and a job offer for his daughter‑in‑law. Taken together, these side‑plotted bribes exceed $10,700 – an under‑the‑table royalty that adds extra flavour to the story.
Final Verdict
Wong and Chia each pleaded guilty; the court will later decide the exact light of the sentencing. The truth is that, even behind the glitter of KTV terraces, these blush‑through corporate ingredients were the unsung villains in a saga of a business chase that only the legal court truly knew.
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