Ex-MFA protocol chief pleads guilty to falsifying claims

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ex-mfa-protocol-chief/1000566.html

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The former chief of protocol with the Foreign Affairs Ministry has been convicted of 10 counts of falsifying claims involving the purchase of pineapple tarts and bottles of wine amounting to about S$35,000.

Lim Cheng Hoe also admitted to 50 counts of cheating totalling some S$54,000, which would be taken into consideration for sentencing purposes.

The 61-year-old had submitted false expense claims between February 2008 and May 2012.

He made claims for more than 10,000 boxes of pineapple tarts when only 2,200 boxes were used as gifts to foreign officials.

For some of the claims, Lim did not buy or use any of the pineapple tarts as gifts to foreign officials during his official overseas trips.

Lim became familiar with the shopkeepers selling the pineapple tarts and had asked them for blank receipts which he filled up himself.

The shopkeepers acceded to his request as they thought Lim had felt that their handwriting was not clear.

As for the bottles of wine, Lim used genuine receipts but he purchased more bottles than he had planned to bring on his official overseas trips.

He made claims for 248 bottles of wine but had bought only 89.

District Judge Eddy Tham will sentence Lim on Thursday.

The maximum punishment for cheating by inflating claims as a public servant is a 10-year jail term and a fine for each charge.