TR EMERITUS

Keppel’s corrupt actions in Brazil dealt a blow to Singapore reputation. The corruption was on a breathtaking scale. The facts, which were initially vehemently denied, have since been admitted by Keppel. The details are set out here in the statement of facts attached to this Deferred Prosecution Agreement. See pages 23-38 here. The CPIB claims “This case is complex and transnational, involving multiple authorities and witnesses from several countries.” This is its justification for not prosecuting anyone.. This excuse does not withstand scrutiny. The CPIB has successfully prosecuted other international cases of Singaporean corruption committed overseas before. To not prosecute stands in stark contrast to Singapore’s widely touted policy of zero tolerance to corruption, and the uncompromising approach taken in many cases sometimes involving miniscule sums of monies. Furthermore, this latest case is in fact a repeat corruption offence for Keppel and also for some of the individuals involved. The decision not to prosecute will cause more damage to Singapore’s reputation than the reprehensible acts that were perpetrated.   * Facebook post by Lee Hsien Yang.      Read More →

I was watching a video made in UK talking anxiously about Excess Deaths. It is said the unusual and unprecedented PROLONGED phenomenon of WEEKLY Excess Deaths is causing "Palpable Panic". What the video missed out is the apparent increase in Sudden Deaths along with the huge Excess Deaths. Excess Deaths & Sudden Deaths are happening across continents and it seems to be quite selective in choosing those highly vaccinated (V) countries. Insurance Companies in US were shocked with the sudden rise in deaths among those age groups below 50 years old which could be as high as 40% in insurance claims for some companies. Statistically speaking, it was regarded as a once in 200 years chance of happening. But governments in these countries, including Singapore, are just brushing all these happening aside. It has become a Catch 22 situation. Nobody wants to look straight at the biggest elephant in the room because it will create unprecedented hysterical fear and anxiety. In some countries, they have stopped or even banned the V program for certain age groups. But for some countries like Singapore, they are still pushing for even younger children right from 6 months old. They just can't stop it. In such situation, the best "strategy" is just to quietly wind down the whole V program just like what Israel and UK are doing, without admitting the gov and experts have made a terrible mistake. For the US, the new narrative while facing an early signal of harm from stroke, it is about going into "further investigation", leaving room for them to maneuver or U Turn without causing V Hysteria. The most foolish strategy is for the gov to "stick to their guns at all cost" because there isn't any long term data and what happens if the worst scenario become true? Can they really handle the Truth? I doubt so. If a mass hysteria happens when the Truth is out, hell will break loose. Well, as Pure Blood, it really has nothing to do with us but in a situation of Mass Hysteria, we will be targeted as well because insanity will set in.   Goh Meng Seng      Read More →

1. Many people in Singapore clamored for the six Keppel executives to be given a severe punishment, instead of a warning, for their involvement in the Brazilian bribery scandal. I do not agree with this demand. Let me give my reasons. 2. I do not know the identities of these executives or the details of their actual involvement. I base my reasoning on the information that I could find from the internet. My information may be incorrect. 3. These senior executives did not personally benefit from the alleged wrongdoing. They were carrying out their work and tried their best to win the contracts for Keppel. They managed to win several contracts. 4. The senior executives (i.e. Keppel) had engaged a consultant in Brazil to obtain the necessary permits and approvals for the contracts and paid a "generous" fee to the consultant for the work. Keppel added this fee as the necessary expenses on the contract. 5. I guess that it would not be possible for Keppel to win these contracts without the necessary permits and approvals. If it was possible, I expect that the Keppel would have avoided paying the "generous" fee. 6. I also guess that Keppel had to compete with other bidders for these contracts. Keppel probably won the contracts by submitting the most suitable bid, based on price and quality. I do not have the actual details of the bids. 7. Keppel did have, at that time, the competence and experience to handle this type of contracts well, and probably better than its competitors. 8. Keppel used its subsidiary based in America to handle the project. Apparently, the activities of this US company came under the scope of US laws. 9. The US government investigated and found that the consultant engaged by Keppel had paid bribes to Brazilian officials. This contravened US laws. The US govt took action against not only the US subsidiaries but probably extended the action to include the senior executives in Singapore. 10. The board of Keppel probably approved the settlement of this case by paying a penalty of US$244 million to the US govt. I understand that this virtually covered all the profits made by Keppel in Brazil over many contracts carried out over many years. 11. This profit was earned through many years of hard work by a few hundred or thousand people. It was not earned easily just by paying bribes. 12. I understand that the US government shared 50% of the penalty with the Brazilian govt and 25% with the Singapore govt. They probably kept the remaining 25% for themselves. The sharing was probably in recognition of the "cooperation" extended by the other two governments. 13. I consider the action by the US govt to be unjust and that the executives, workers and shareholders of Keppel had been unfairly penalized. (For disclosure, I am a small shareholder of Keppel along with a few thousand other shareholders). 14. I do not consider it just for the six executives of Keppel to be given a severe punishment for their involvement in this case. I do not know them personally, as their identities are not disclosed. I consider the action taken by the US govt to be unjust in the first place.   Tan Kin Lian      Read More →