Singaporean businessman charged over sex-for-goals soccer probe

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A Singaporean businessman has been charged with corruption for offering free sex to three Lebanese football referees to induce them to fix a match in the city-state, a government agency said Sunday.

Eric Ding Si Yang, 31, was charged with three counts of corruption on Saturday, a spokesman for the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) told AFP. He gave no further details.

If convicted, Ding faces a maximum prison term of five years or a fine of up to Sg$100,000 ($81,000), or both penalties, for each charge.

Referee Ali Sabbagh and his fellow Lebanese assistants Ali Eid and Abdallah Taleb were charged earlier and remain in custody while their application for bail is being processed.

They were about to officiate in Singapore-based Tampines Rovers' AFC Cup fixture with India's East Bengal on Wednesday when they were abruptly dropped and questioned by the CPIB.

The CPIB said in a statement on Thursday that it had acted on "prior information of match-fixing" involving the three referees.

"Subsequent investigations revealed that the trio corruptly received gratification... in the form of free sexual service from three females," CPIB said.

Singapore's Sunday Times said Ding spends most of his time in Bangkok but has stakes in a restaurant and nightclub in Singapore.

He is known to have a passion for fast cars and drives an Aston Martin Vantage, the newspaper said.