Jeffery Long Chee Kin, the former managing director of a marketing services firm, has been sentenced to 13 months’ imprisonment for corrupt cash payments totaling $71,300 to Christopher Tan Toh Nghee, a business development associate director at the Singapore Management University (SMU) Academy. These payments occurred between February and November 2019, with Long seeking to further his firm, Assetualize’s (AST), business interests with SMU Academy.
Long, 45, had earned at least $140,600 from these business interests at the time of the offenses. He pleaded guilty in August to three graft charges involving more than $44,000, while five other charges related to the remaining amount were considered during sentencing. Current records indicate that Long is no longer a director at AST.
Tan, also 45, who had a history of National Service with Long, was no longer employed at SMU at the time of the report, and his case was pending. Their connection dates back to their national service days, and they were later posted to the same reservist unit, although the specific unit was not disclosed in court documents.
During the period in question, Tan held the position of business development associate director at SMU Academy’s Service Operations and Business Improvement sub-department. His role included overseeing revenue, sales, and program management for the sub-department, which also engaged partners for marketing its courses.
In late 2018, Tan proposed that Long become a marketing partner to promote SMU Academy courses, and they entered into a service agreement on January 1, 2019. Additionally, Long referred two applicants for enrollment in SMU Academy.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Phua revealed that in February 2019, Tan asked Long for $600 for each enrolment, wanting a share of the commissions AST received from SMU Academy. Long agreed to the arrangement and gave Tan $1,200. This agreement extended to a share of AST’s earnings from SMU Academy.
Subsequently, in March 2019, Tan requested a one-third cut of AST’s monthly earnings from SMU Academy, to which Long also agreed. These corrupt practices came to light when a complaint was lodged in July 2019, accusing Tan of soliciting kickbacks from multiple vendors involved in marketing SMU Academy courses. Long and Tan were among several individuals charged with graft-related offenses in March 2021.
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