Names of Companies Involved in Case where Former LTA Deputy Group Director Was Jailed for Taking Bribes
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether the names of companies involved in bribing former LTA Deputy Group Director Henry Foo Yong Thye will be released and if they will be banned from future government contracts. Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong raised these inquiries, prompting Minister for Transport S Iswaran to clarify that the identities of charged parties are already public through CPIB press releases. Minister for Transport S Iswaran emphasized that LTA’s procurement involves multi-layered checks and independent reviews to prevent any single officer from unilaterally approving variation orders or project works. He stated that the Standing Committee of Debarment (SCOD) is responsible for all debarment decisions, which are evaluated after the conclusion of legal proceedings. CPIB will provide its recommendations to the SCOD once the current cases are completed to determine the firms' future participation in public tenders.
Transcript
71 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA will be releasing the names of all companies or businesses on behalf of which bribes or loans have been given to former LTA Deputy Group Director Henry Foo Yong Thye; and (b) whether the said companies or businesses will be banned from tendering for future contracts with LTA or all future Government contracts.
Mr S Iswaran: LTA is committed to upholding public sector procurement requirements and high safety standards when carrying out all projects. These include projects such as the Thomson-East Coast Line and Cross Island Line.
To meet our stringent safety standards, construction works are closely monitored by a team of LTA officers. There are also independent checks conducted on the safety of construction works, with the independent reviewer reporting directly to BCA, as required by law. All procurement activities also adhere to standards of good governance, which include multiple layers of checks and eventual endorsement by a panel with senior officers from a non-user department to ensure all proposals are evaluated rigorously and impartially. In other words, no officer is able to singly approve variation orders or to sign off on completed works.
The persons who have been charged in relation to the corruption offences committed by Henry Foo have been made public by CPIB through their press release and names reported by the press. The Standing Committee of Debarment (SCOD) decides on all cases of debarment and CPIB will only be able to make its recommendations to the SCOD after the current proceedings have completed.