The Head of the Billing Management Section at the Department of Water Services was charged in court before the Honourable Magistrate Harnita Zelda Skinner. Tan Kok Din faces six counts of misconduct in a public office under Section 12B of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Chapter 131. Each charge carries a penalty of a $30,000 fine and seven years' imprisonment.
He also faces two charges of money laundering under Section 3(1)(a) of the Criminal Asset Recovery Order, 2012, each punishable with a fine of up to $500,000, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both. The Defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges. The corruption charges pertain to actions taken during his tenure as the Head of the Billing Management Section, Department of Water Services between 2015 and 2022, wherein he was responsible for recommending companies to the Quotation Committee within the Department of Water Services for the award of the department projects. Investigations reveal that the Defendant repeatedly failed to declare his personal interest in several of the companies that had participated in vying for Department of Water Services tender projects.
It was also found that the Defendant benefitted monetarily following the companies' award of the Department of Water Services tender projects. During the period, the companies secured Department of Water Services contracts worth tens of thousands of dollars. The money laundering charges arise from funds unlawfully acquired through this scheme. Investigations uncovered that, on two separate occasions in 2015, the Defendant received deposits of $140,000 and $60,000 into his personal bank accounts. These funds were traced back to the companies involved and were known or reasonably suspected by the Defendant to be proceeds of his misconduct.
The prosecution was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutors Siti Khalillah Hussin, Nur Ruzana Adnan and Mohammad Syafi'e Mirhan. The Defendant was unrepresented and released on court bail with strict conditions. The case has been fixed for further mention on 4th September 2025 at 2 in the afternoon.
