Two forklift drivers were Tuesday charged in Singapore with accepting SGD1 (72 US cent) bribes and are facing fines of up to SGD100,000 and jail time, highlighting the city-state’s tough anti-corruption stance.
The Chinese men are accused of accepting the small kickbacks from drivers on several occasions in exchange for not delaying the collection or return of containers onto their trucks, Singapore’s graft-fighting agency said.
Chen Ziliang, 47, and Zhao Yucun, 43, are alleged to have committed the offenses over several years at a shipping container depot in the affluent port city, which is a global trading hub.
The agency said the pair had obtained bribes of around SGD1 multiple times, in contravention of the tightly-controlled country’s laws, but did not say how much in total they are accused of accepting.
“Bribes of any amount or any kind will not be tolerated,” the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said in a statement. “Even if the bribe amount is as low as $1, they can be taken to task.”
Anyone found guilty of corruption faces a fine of up to SGD100,000 (USD72,000) and a maximum jail term of five years, the agency said.
Singapore, a thriving business hub and financial center, has consistently ranked in surveys as among the least corrupt countries in the world.
Its government ministers are the world’s best-paid politicians, with salaries starting at SGD1.1 million, in what authorities argue is partly a bid to deter corruption.
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