Sales director cheats firm of over $170k, hands out $40k bribe

A sales director cheated his firm of more than $170,000 in total between August 2021 and December 2022.

Court documents stated that Alvin Yap Chin Chye, 50, also gave nearly $40,500 in a bribe to a woman identified as Lee Mui Sim, 54, who was then a co-director and co-shareholder of ECT Asia, which purportedly provided consultancy services.

On Jan 20, Yap pleaded guilty to a graft charge and three counts of cheating. He will be sentenced on Jan 23.

The prosecution said that Lee’s husband Alex Quek Chin Hock, 50, was involved in some of the offences. At the time, Quek was also a co-director and co-shareholder of ECT Asia.

The cases involving Lee, who is also known as Ashelyn, and Quek are pending. Yap, Lee and Quek are all Singaporeans.

At the time of the offences, Yap was working for Geekplus SG, the Singapore-based subsidiary of the Hong Kong-incorporated Geekplus International Company, a company that provided automated solutions for the logistics industry.

Lee was also a logistics director at Henatenn Holdings, which operated in the beauty and fragrances industry.

It all started in March 2021, when Henatenn’s managing director tasked Lee to source for vendors to automate a warehouse owned by one of its subsidiaries.

Lee got to know about Geekplus SG and met one of its representatives to have a discussion about the contract.

Around Aug 20 that year, Quek told Yap that Lee was working for Henatenn. The two men had known each other separately regarding a possible business venture.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Vishnu Menon told the court: “During further discussions, Alex asked the accused (Yap) for a commission if Alex were to help Geekplus SG secure the… contract (from Henatenn).

“The accused agreed to this... It was agreed that this was to be split in equal thirds between the accused, Alex, and Ashelyn.”

The DPP added that Yap understood that this “commission” was, in fact, a corrupt payment to be made to Lee to show “special favour” to Geekplus SG in relation to the contract.

The DPP said that Lee later made recommendations for Geekplus SG to be given the contract valued at more than US$2 million (S$2.7 million).

Yap and Henatenn’s managing director signed the contract on Dec 31, 2021.

DPP Menon said that in April and September 2022, Quek submitted to Geekplus SG invoices for more than $101,000 in total for “consultancy services” that ECT Asia had not provided in reality.

Geekplus’ unsuspecting managing director approved these payments and the money was transferred from Geekplus International’s bank account to one belonging to ECT Asia.

The DPP said that the bribe of nearly $40,500 was taken from these ill-gotten gains.

Court documents stated that on Jan 4, 2023, Lee withdrew more than $20,000 to give Yap his share of the deal.

Separately, on July 21, 2022, Lee found out that Henatenn had to buy five robots from Geekplus SG.

Geekplus’ financial department then quoted her a sum of US$35,000 for each robot.

The prosecutor said that Lee, Quek and Yap then agreed to mark up the price of each robot by US$10,000 and share the money among themselves.

On Aug 18, 2022, Geekplus SG sent a quotation of US$225,000 to Henatenn, which paid it in two instalments later that year.

The court heard that Quek then sent Geekplus SG an invoice with ECT Asia’s letterhead, for a “commission payment” of $67,550 – equivalent of US$50,000 at the time.

Geekplus’ managing director approved the payment and the amount was delivered from Geekplus International’s bank account to one belonging to ECT Asia.

DPP Menon said that on Oct 30, 2022, Yap collected his share of the money – $22,500 in cash – from Quek.

In another incident, the court heard that Geekplus SG urgently needed a space to store certain pieces of equipment in October 2021.

Yap found an office space in Tannery Lane near Macpherson Road. Its owner was one of his business associates, who agreed to let Geekplus SG use the space for free from October 2021 to January 2022.

DPP Menon said: “(Yap) decided to use this as an opportunity to make some money off Geekplus SG.

“On the accused’s instructions, Alex created three fictitious invoices bearing ECT Asia’s letterhead, which claimed that ECT Asia had temporarily rented out the space to Geekplus SG.”

On Jan 3, 2022, Geekplus’ managing director approved a payment of $3,000 to ECT Asia’s bank account.

The DPP added that Lee later withdrew the money and her husband handed the cash to Yap.

On Jan 20, defence lawyers Eugene Thuraisingam and Ng Yuan Siang stated in court documents that Yap made more than $60,000 in “secret profits” and he has since made full restitution.