The general manager and secretary of Ang Mo Kio Town Council has been removed from his duties and is under investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
Mr Victor Wong, who works for CPG Facilities Management, the managing agent of the town council, was asked to go on leave by his company after the town council received a complaint about him in September, town council chairman Ang Hin Kee told The Straits Times yesterday.
He added that the case had been referred to the CPIB and Mr Wong was removed from his positions at the town council last month.
An acting general manager, Mr Lim Kian Chiong, has been appointed to replace him, according to a notice published last month in the Government Gazette.
Mr Lim is also an employee of CPG Facilities Management, which is contracted to manage the estate.
Mr Ang, who is an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, said the town council received a complaint in September about Mr Wong concerning “the way he handles contracts and dealings in the town council”.
He added that the complaint “arose out of his dealings which relates to probable behaviour needing investigation done by CPIB”.
“Needless to say, the town council ourselves will render all the assistance needed to ensure zero tolerance for corruption,” said Mr Ang.
“There’s responsibility on the part of our contractors to do the job properly. If they do it inappropriately, then we will take follow-up actions with regard to getting them replaced (and) sending the case for investigation, making sure the necessary steps are taken.”
Mr Ang declined to reveal details about the case, citing ongoing investigations, but said that the town council constantly reminded its staff to declare any interests concerning tenders that the council was awarding.
Staff from the managing agent were also reminded that “if there are declarations to be made, if there are interests to declare, the people involved (must) make those declarations”, he said.
He added that the MPs of the GRC had made it a point to personally check on projects performed by its contractors, “so not 100 per cent is done by the managing agent with no oversight”.
AMK Town Council is responsible for the housing estates in Ang Mo Kio GRC, which is helmed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Mr Ang said that activities on the ground in the town council were unaffected by the development.
“We have made sure that people on the ground – the staff and officers – continue to do their work properly supervised,” he said.
Mr Wong could not be reached for comment yesterday evening.
This article was first published on Dec 30, 2016.
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