NKF sues SPH on defamation
-
Check out the financial statement to get a clearer picture but dunno this statement true or not
http://www.nkfs.org/finance%20data.htm -
aiyah...complain complain....later everytime got those circus....people still donate millions of dollars to them....what is the use?
if we donate...those top brass may benefit more...if we dont...it's those patients who will suffer more...
the administrator's pays are not according to how much donations they can garner what...they wont earn less....but they may turn away more people due to lack of funds...
complain for what? wait kenna sue lagi worse right? -
The complete report :
A CLOSELY guarded secret of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) was finally made public yesterday: the salary of its chief executive T.T. Durai.
Gasps could be heard in the courtroom when it was revealed that on top of his $25,000 a month salary, he also received 10 to 12 months in yearly bonuses. That makes his annual salary between $550,000 and $600,000, or $1.8 million in total over the past three years.
This fact, and the disclosure that he had flown first class on NKF's funds, emerged on Day 1 of NKF's defamation suit against Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).
The NKF, which is entirely dependent on public funds, offers dialysis treatment to kidney patients. Two out of every three Singaporeans contribute to it.
It is taking issue with a Straits Times article by senior correspondent Susan Long published on April 19 last year, which stated that a gold-plated tap had been installed and later replaced in the private bathroom in Mr Durai's office suite.
The NKF and Mr Durai contend that this was not the case and that the words in the article, 'The NKF: Controversially ahead of its time?', had damaged their reputation by implying that donors' funds were being misused. The hearing yesterday was delayed by the NKF's application for special damages of $3.24 million, which it claimed was what it lost in donations following the publication of the article. Justice Tan Lee Meng threw out the application and ordered the NKF to pay SPH's legal cost for its last-minute move.
roflmao
At the hearing, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, acting for SPH, noted that the tap in question cost $990, expensive by his standards although Mr Durai did not agree. The lawyer sought to show that the NKF was neither honest nor transparent about the way it uses donors' funds.
He told the court he had to ask the NKF three times, twice through the courts, to have the salary of its CEO made public.
mai hiu lan.... nonchalent attitude
Mr Durai, represented by Senior Counsel Michael Khoo, was the only witness who took the stand yesterday. Among those in the gallery was NKF patron, Mrs Goh Chok Tong, wife of the Senior Minister, who left midway through the hearing.
Strong backing. "Da gou yao kan zhu ren". Know who is the owner before u bash up a dog
Mr Durai argued that he was not required by law to tell the public what he earned, even though he conceded that they paid his salary. Also, he wanted to protect his personal privacy.
Mr Singh asked: 'The man who earns $1,000 a month who donates $50... every month thinking that it is going to save lives, should they not know that that is the kind of money you earn?' Replied Mr Durai: 'I don't see the need for him to know.' He denied Mr Singh's charge that he refused to disclose his salary as he knew he would lose moral authority with donors.
Mr Durai's travel perks also came under scrutiny.
Not only had the NKF maintained consistently - as recently as in the April 19 article - that none of its executives flew first class, it had threatened to sue people who said Mr Durai did so.
wow.... suing is the best offence. Rich ppl wont bother that small amt they throw at NFK. Poor ppl wldnt have the $$ to engage in a lawsuit"
At least two people have had to apologise publicly and pay damages and costs for saying they had seen Mr Durai travel first class, as the NKF said this implied he was wasting donors' funds.
Sha yi qing Bai... slaughter one to silent the masses
Under questioning, he admitted he had flown first class on some airlines. His explanation: The NKF board allowed this as long as he did not bust the Singapore Airlines business-class rate.
Chagi Airport only fly one airline?
Mr Singh countered: 'Isn't it your duty as a trustee of people's monies to make sure that you get best value on a business-class seat instead of deploying this clever tactic... using it for first class on another plane?'
Mr Durai replied: 'This is a decision made by the board. I used the entitlement.' The entitlement, he added, kicked in only in the past two years. Previously, when he flew first class, he had paid the difference out of his own pocket, he maintained.
Mr Singh noted that although he now flew first class, Mr Durai did not correct his chairman Richard Yong's assertion in the April 19 article that 'there is no such thing as first-class travel'.
So who is the one kept in the dark? Richard or Durai?
'The reason you hide the truth is because you know that that is the wrong thing to do, using people's money, and you know that is mismanagement of donations.'
Mr Durai was asked if he should now 'do the right thing' by the two individuals who had paid him damages and costs for saying what he had now admitted in court. He said no, sticking to his claim that at that time, he did not travel first class using NKF funds and when he did so, he paid the difference himself. -
The CEO is not a stupid fellow.
If he is not confident of winning the law suit, he would not have go to court.
I can forecast the eventual verdict as the author will be fined and jailed and the paper pay some sum of money.
I believe he is not the only one that is paid the 12 month bonus.
Board directors also received some fees from the organisation.
So, most probably the rest of the top management will be getting the 12 months bonus.
It is just a organisation where a bunch of elite gather blood money from the naive public to build their castle and kingdom maximising out the limit of the company laws.
Imagine the existing bunch of employees (I believe they are quite lowly paid, unable to confirm that) that have not received any bonus and knowing the boss have kindly given himself the 12 months bonus.
Singapore is truly in a sad situation of being most "clean" country of Asia.
A place where elite have no shame in giving himself credit and money from the mass modern slaves of the 21th century.
I believe this elite is not the only one around. -
yup.. volunteers work for free..Originally posted by AF2005:it is the management that is taking more than they should and spending on luxuries. 12 mnths bonus is crazy. all along i thought they follow goverment mkt rate and rewards.
volunteers are free labor and zero costs. they do it out from the heart and duty.
i just hope this will not make our garment leaders feel underpaid with already high paid salary and ask for 12 mnths bonus also.
but the people helping to find volunteers are paid..
-
What make you think that the elite are underpaid ???
Just look at their car and bungalow.
Not forgetting their directorship.
Elite are NOT STUPID. -
this is called paying super high salary and bonus to eliminate corruption.
-
That balance sheet shows nothingOriginally posted by Ogbunwezeh:Check out the financial statement to get a clearer picture but dunno this statement true or not
http://www.nkfs.org/finance%20data.htm
its like i'm telling u all
Assets I have....... : A BMW, $20k fixed deposit in bank
My Libilities........... : Life Insurance $150 per mth
My Mthly Earning... : $1000
My total Spending...: $ 800
It reflects nothng abt the "Spending"
Unless i says:
Spending.....: $200 food, $200(kio kuay), $200 transport, $150 insurance, $50 hp bills
This is what i call transparancy -
volunteers got paid from Heaven. --> GOD laOriginally posted by earthlings73:yup.. volunteers work for free..
but the people helping to find volunteers are paid..
-
i think high time the gahmen step in and give some governce to charitable organizations and not let them run wild like tat....
-
the common man can vote with their disgust..
again, what if they had a show and no one showed up? -
What a financial statement, it is just broad header...no breakdown!!Originally posted by Ogbunwezeh:Check out the financial statement to get a clearer picture but dunno this statement true or not
http://www.nkfs.org/finance%20data.htm
Look at the financial, it mentioned receipts so how can Durian say it is turnover!!!
Any you look at the direct charitable expenses, it already consist of 36% of the total receipts...what kind of direct charitable expenses!!!! I do not think the equation is right, to earn $1, you spend $0.36 for direct charitable expenses and not to mention that it has not consider the fundraising activities, the staffs salaries and other expenses...which means that probably only 10% goes to the patient!!!
This is real bad operation!!! Who are the auditors doing their account and why nobody question such an operation!!!!....I guess the more we dig, it will be like Enron case. -
i wonder if Durai is sh1ttin' bricks now...
or is he in his ivory tower, playing his fiddle while everything around him burns? -
Are you the judge presiding over the case meant to determine if the wordings are defamatory?Originally posted by sbst275:But the way they reported is defamatory...
And making it da zi pao, what motive do they have?
Neither I donate $$ to NKF, all those lucly draw frills -
correct me if i'm wrong, there's another organisation similar to NKF rite, KDF or something....
-
the Kidney Dialysis Fund...
they go around doing their job quietly... which is why everytime there's a NKF thing, i would suggest to people to give to the KDF instead..Originally posted by foga:correct me if i'm wrong, there's another organisation similar to NKF rite, KDF or something.... -
yes.Originally posted by foga:correct me if i'm wrong, there's another organisation similar to NKF rite, KDF or something....
kidney dialysis foundation.
tel : 62253133 -
right !!Originally posted by foga:correct me if i'm wrong, there's another organisation similar to NKF rite, KDF or something....
KDF web site<--- clink to find out more -
someone once suggested that these 2 are linked.... any1 wanna comment on this suggestion?
-
Wonder why should we donate so much and THE CEO OF NKF donates nothing to NKF?
Since he earn so much why is he not donating like the rest of us? so the poor donates to help rich people like him to spent? and he refuse to donate a single cent to NKF>? -
and i believe NKF or KDF have some afflilation with companys like SIA, SAF,SINGTEL in setting up dialysis centre...
-
he'll probably say there's a conflict of interests
there's a clear conflict between charity and his money-faced money-grabbingOriginally posted by drx:Wonder why should we donate so much and THE CEO OF NKF donates nothing to NKF?
Since he earn so much why is he not donating like the rest of us? so the poor donates to help rich people like him to spent? and he refuse to donate a single cent to NKF>? -
all grounds of defamation are fulfilled in your post. you better edit it.Originally posted by the Bear:he'll probably say there's a conflict of interests
there's a clear conflict between charity and his money-faced money-grabbingOriginally posted by Mr Fugue:before someone can be sued, there must be a ground(s). if not, court will dismiss the summons.
Grounds of a defamatory suit:
must be communicated to a 3rd party must be said/communicated as a fact, and not a opinion would be believed by right minds of people around to be factual.