SPH sacks senior executive sacked for cheating
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Singapore Press Holdings Vice President of English & Malay Newspaper Division and the The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund sacked for corruption. Will charges be brought against him?
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1081672/1/.html
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Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has dismissed a senior executive after he voluntarily admitted to receiving illegal payments and misappropriating shopping vouchers handled by his Editorial Projects Unit.
According to a SPH statement on Thursday, police are conducting investigations on 47-year-old Peter Khoo Chong Meng, a 22-year veteran of the media group and a vice-president in the English & Malay Newspapers Division.
Mr Khoo has reportedly repaid S$196,500 for payments he admitted to receiving illegally and for the vouchers he misappropriated.
The vouchers were intended for branding and promotion activities of The Straits Times, which his Editorial Projects Unit organises.
The illegal payments are believed to be related to external vendors who provided souvenirs, gifts, T-shirts and various goodie items.
The news came to light after the married father of one confessed to his editors earlier this week what he had done. It’s not clear over how long his offences took place or if they would have been discovered at all if he had not come forward.
Mr Khoo also chaired the organising committee which coordinates events and activities to raise funds for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STPMF). He has been replaced in this role with immediate effect.
As the Unit organises fund-raising activities for the STPMF, SPH said that, to the best of the company’s knowledge, none of the donations made to the Fund were misappropriated.
The Fund, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, helps needy children with education and living costs in Singapore. Over the past 10 years, the Fund has raised a total of $30 million through various campaigns.
As recently as July this year, Khoo launched its Help-A-Kid coin bank campaign, which encouraged Singaporeans to purchase 50,000 coin banks at $5 each to help the less fortunate.
The money collected by STPMF is kept in an account with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), who in turn disburses the funds out to needy students.
When contacted by The Straits Times, Khoo declined comment and said his lawyers have advised him to refrain from making any statement.
In a statement, SPH chief executive officer Alan Chan said: “SPH takes a serious view of the matter. We are reviewing our internal processes and will do whatever is necessary to tighten our procedures in all aspects, including that of the Pocket Money Fund. Our external auditors have also been informed.”
Chief editor of the newspaper, Han Fook Kwang, was also quoted as saying, “This is a big setback for us. While we do not believe the STPMF was involved, I would like to assure our many donors and supporters that it is our top priority to maintain the integrity of the Straits Times Pocket Money Fund.”
An editor with the media group, who declined to be named, told Yahoo! Singapore his initial reaction was one of shock.
“I heard his(Khoo’s) staff were in tears. I’m surprised why a man of his level would succumb to greed. I mean, it’s $200k, it’s not worth losing your career over, especially, when he earns about $15k a month,” he said.
“His staff were disappointed because he always nagged them about being prudent and cost-conscious and about being honest when dealing with clients,” he added.
Asked if he thought more than one could be involved, he said,” I don’t think so. And it did not involve the ST Pocket Money Fund, which he was in charge of.”
Another sub-editor within the group, who requested to remain anonymous, said it was “disheartening” to hear the news.
“People are losing confidence in charities and fundraising and to have someone from the organisation embroiled in this is disheartening,” she said.
“Given that he was a journalist with the national paper makes it worse because we tend to expect more from people of this profession,” she added.
Another SPH magazine editor said he was “disappointed that someone who earns so much still wants to steal.”
-- Yahoo! News
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Ex-SPH exec grilled by cops
FORMER SPH senior executive Peter Khoo Chong Meng, 47, was hauled in for police questioning on Friday.
He was grilled at Tanglin Police Division Headquarters for about seven hours, from about noon following his admission to taking illegal payments and shopping vouchers.
Mr Khoo, dressed in a dark brown shirt, emerged from the police building at about 7pm and hurried to a black Toyota Camry, declining to speak to the waiting reporters.
The senior vice-president in the English and Malay Newspaper Division of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) confessed to receiving illegal payments and misappropriating shopping vouchers meant for branding and promotion activities earlier this week.
He has made restitution amounting to $196,500.
The news shocked everyone who knew Mr Khoo as the public face of The Straits Times Pocket Money Fund, the newspaper's 10-year-old charity which provides financial assistance to needy students. Police investigations are ongoing.
-- ST
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Anyone still want to donate to charity???
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I will still donate...just because there are people out there who needs help...
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Originally posted by cyberr1981:
Anyone still want to donate to charity???
Yes.
Just probably not this one.
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I always knew there was something fishy about this particular project.
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It is correctly termed.
It is pocket money fund.
Just whose pocket is the money kept.