Nine of the men who have been charged in connection with the multimillion-dollar fuel theft from a Shell manufacturing site were offered bail yesterday as investigations continue.
Vietnamese national Nguyen Duc Quang, 46, who faces five charges of dishonestly receiving stolen oil, was offered bail of $700,000.
The quantum of oil misappropriated adds up to about $4 million and is likely to be higher than the charges already tendered, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Chew.
In the case of the other eight, DPP Chew had sought bail of $600,000 or $1 million, but District Judge Christopher Goh halved the amounts.
Five of them - Juandi Pungot, 41, Cai Zhi Zhong, 35, Tiah Kok Hwee, 41, Koh Choon Wei, 35, and Muzaffar Ali Khan Muhamad Akram, 37 - were granted bail of $500,000 each. They each face seven counts of abetment by conspiracy to misappropriate gas oil on seven occasions between last July and this month.
For the remaining trio - Mohd Ibrahim K. Abdul Majid, 52, who is unrepresented, Abdul Latif Ibrahim, 59, and Richard Goh Chee Keong, 48 - Judge Goh set their bail at $300,000 each.
The three men each face five charges of abetment by conspiracy to commit criminal breach of trust of gas oil between Nov 11 last year and Jan 5 this year.
In the case of the other eight, Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Chew had sought bail of $600,000 or $1 million, but District Judge Christopher Goh halved the amounts.
Their next appearance will be on Feb 20, when the cases of Vietnamese nationals Doan Xuan Than, 46, Dang Van Hanh, 37, and Singaporeans Alan Tan Cheng Chuan, 45, and Muhammad Ali Muhammad Nor, 51, will be mentioned. These four have been offered bail of between $20,000 and $30,000 each.
Meanwhile, Sentek Marine and Trading's then marketing and operations manager Ng Hock Teck, 54, who has been charged with engaging in a conspiracy with his colleague, Alan Tan, to dishonestly receive stolen marine gas oil on three occasions in July and November last year, will return to court today .
