Friend of ex-FAS deputy director jailed for helping him cheat

A friend of a former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) deputy director who helped him cheat the organisation of over $450,000 was sentenced to eight weeks’ jail on Aug 14.

Pallaniappan Ravindran, 51, pleaded guilty to five counts of engaging in a conspiracy to cheat the association. Ten other similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Ravindran, who was director of sports merchandise supplier Myriad Sports & Events, had helped ex-FAS deputy director Rikram Jit Singh Randhir Singh, 43, to dupe FAS by pretending that Myriad would supply items to the association.

But a company linked to Singh and his wife, Ms Asya Kirin Kames, were supplying the items and taking the payments from FAS.

The trio’s conspiracy led to the association being cheated of $457,605 in total.

Singh, whom Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran called the mastermind behind the crime, was sentenced to 55 weeks’ jail in January.

Ms Asya, 36, who was earlier handed 46 charges, was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal in January – meaning she cannot be charged again with the same offences.

DPP Thiagesh told the court on Aug 14 that Singh and Ravindran were colleagues at another company from 2008 to 2009.

In 2016, Ravindran considered winding down Myriad as he had other work commitments and the firm was not generating revenue.

Singh advised him not to do so and asked Ravindran to provide quotations to supply sports merchandise to FAS.

Singh said he would take over the supply jobs FAS had given to Myriad. Ravindran could keep a small sum of FAS’ payment and then transfer the rest of the money to Singh.

When Ravindran asked why this arrangement was necessary, Singh admitted that it was a conflict of interest for him or any company associated with him to get contracts with FAS.

DPP Thiagesh said Ravindran agreed to the scheme because of his friendship with Singh.

Separately, Ravindran had decided to keep Myriad running as there was a possibility of supplying sports merchandise to Thailand.

Said the prosecutor: “While (Ravindran) knew that Rikram would take over the supply jobs, (he) was unaware as to how Rikram would do so.”

Singh met Ms Asya while she was working in the communications department at FAS in 2013.

She then set up All Resources Network (ARN), a firm which specialised in event management and the sale of sporting and recreational goods, after leaving FAS in December that year.

Singh and Ms Asya spoke frequently as ARN regularly organised or supported FAS events.

They got married, but did not declare the conflict of interest to FAS.

In February 2016, the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) agreed that FAS would produce and disseminate clappers, stress balls, scroll banners and football scarves.

These would carry NCPG imagery and be distributed at S-League matches and youth outreach programmes.

In one instance, Ravindran submitted a quotation under Myriad’s name for 15,300 pieces of football scarves valued at $29,835.

FAS approved the quotation and paid Myriad. Ravindran gave the money to Singh and ARN subsequently supplied the items to FAS.

DPP Thiagesh said FAS did not know ARN would actually be the firm supplying the items and would not have approved the quotations nor made payment if it had known the truth.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) received information in 2019 that Singh had misappropriated money from FAS and began investigations.

Ravindran returned all the profits he earned from the scheme to CPIB.

DPP Thiagesh asked for Ravindran to be jailed for between eight and 12 weeks.

His lawyer, Mr Thangavelu, argued for him to avoid jail or to be given only a short jail term, noting that Ravindran suffers from a heart condition.

In sentencing, District Judge Teoh Ai Lin said the Singapore Prison Service has assured that it will provide Ravindran the required level of medical care to manage his condition.