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Image Credits: Attorney-General’s Chambers / Manifold Times
Repost: Nine members of a criminal syndicate have been convicted in 2020 and 2021 for offences under the Computer Misuse Act, for using industrial strength magnets to tamper with the Mass Flow Meter (MFM) equipment on board bunker tankers Southernpec 6 and Southernpec 7 to cheat buyers of marine fuel oil (MFO).
According to a Thursday (30 September) joint statement from Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and Singapore Police Force (SPF), buyers were cheated of USD 336,930.63 worth of MFO in total.
The outcomes of the cases, jointly investigated by MPA and SPF, against three masterminds and six cargo officers are set out in the table below:
| S/N | Name (Alias) | Role | Date of Sentencing | Sentence |
| 1 | Ang Heng Lye (Eric) | Mastermind | 21 June 2021 | 35 months’ imprisonment |
| 2 | Tay Tien Whui (Jason) | Mastermind | 4 August 2021 | 34 months and 2 weeks’ imprisonment |
| 3 | Kek Kah Hui (Dylan) | Mastermind | 26 June 2021 | 34 months’ imprisonment |
| 4 | Ang Heng Chye | Cargo officer | 26 August 2020 | 19 months’ imprisonment |
| 5 | Heng Meng Wee, Stanley | Cargo officer | 28 July 2021 | 18 months and 2 weeks’ imprisonment |
| 6 | Leong Wai Chew, Lionel | Cargo officer | 27 July 2021 | 13 months’ imprisonment |
| 7 | Chua Yew Hui, Andy | Cargo officer | 9 June 2020 | 9 months’ imprisonment |
| 8 | Chua Yan Jing, Gab | Cargo officer | 30 September 2020 | 7 months’ imprisonment |
| 9 | Kek Kah Hee | Cargo officer | 13 November 2020 | 2 weeks’ imprisonment |
“To uphold the integrity of the bunker process in the Port of Singapore, MPA has mandated the use of MFMs for the delivery of MFO as it provides assurance to both buyers and suppliers on the delivered quantity of MFO, and enhances transparency in the bunkering process,” they stated.
“The authorities take a serious view of such criminal activities and will not hesitate to take firm action against those who commit offences that undermine Singapore’s international reputation as a trusted shipping and bunkering hub.”
The criminal syndicate’s tampering with MFMs on bunker tankers Southernpec 6 and Southernpec 7 was conceptualised by the masterminds, and carried out by the cargo officers on board.
The syndicate’s illegal operations were discovered during an enforcement check by MPA in April 2019.
MPA revoked the bunker craft operator and bunker supplier licence of Southernpec (Singapore) Pte Ltd with effect from 8 May 2019 and 29 May 2019 respectively.
The modus operandi of the syndicate is set out in Annex A (below):
Image Credits: Attorney-General’s Chambers / Manifold Times
Source:
Manifold Times
Marine Online Media Team
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