Singapore Refers Eight Civil Servants to Police After Study Alleged Privileged Planning Information Was Used for Home Purchases
SINGAPORE — The Singapore government has referred eight civil servants to the police for further investigation, after reviewing a study that claimed some officials used privileged planning information for housing transactions. Chan Chun Sing, Coordinating Minister for Public Services, told parliament on Tuesday, October 6, that the referral does not mean wrongdoing has been established, but that the government does not have the information needed to exclude the cases from further review.
The government reviewed property transactions of 191 civil servants from 2007 to 2014 after a working paper published by the US National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) alleged that civil servants and their relatives bought S$270 million (about $210 million) worth of property near planned train stations before the stations were announced. The paper said there were 113 property purchases by civil servants near planned stations in the two years before announcements, and another 108 by relatives in the three years before, and that 'the gains from informed trading are substantial'. The transactions were largely concentrated before 2011, with a notable decline after. The study is a working paper that has not been peer-reviewed.
'Public officers must never use information through their official duties to advance their own private interests,' Chan told parliament. 'The integrity of the public service and the public's trust in it are fundamental. We therefore take allegations of misuse of official information seriously, but we must also proceed on the basis of evidence and due process.' The government had earlier said it was reviewing the paper and that any wrongdoing would be referred to the corruption bureau.
The case has drawn wide attention in Singapore because it touches the city-state's most prized institutional asset — the clean reputation of its public service. Police will examine each of the eight officers' transaction timing, access to information and role in decisions. Until findings are published, no conclusion attaches to any individual; the government's line is that allegations are taken seriously and evidence will decide.
(Source: Compiled from Reuters reporting on)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 新加坡国会大厦，CC BY-SA 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）
