Ming Yi's former aide confesses to a cover-up
By Ong Dai Lin, TODAY | Posted: 14 April 2009 0717 hrs
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SINGAPORE: He claimed trial confidently when his criminal hearing began two weeks ago.
Now, the fourth day of the hearing against former Ren Ci Hospital chief Shi Ming Yi brought the revelation that his former aide Raymond Yeung had confessed to investigators months ago about borrowing S$50,000 from the charity for personal use - and lying about it.
The prosecution called to the stand on Monday a new witness, Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) officer Tan Fong Chin, who had recorded an admission from Yeung about approaching Ming Yi for a loan "for some personal expenses in Hong Kong" arising from financial difficulties.
Yeung had actually wanted to pay for the renovation of a good friend's flat in the Chinese territory, where he used to stay whenever he visited, according to the statement taken in March last year. But he apparently did not tell the monk this.
Then began an intricate tale of cover-up, going by the confession.
Yeung had suggested using the Mandala Buddhist Cultural Centre's name to borrow the money. Ming Yi supposedly agreed and approved a payment voucher.
But the Australian national "forgot to record this amount" in Mandala's accounts as planned. When audit inquiries into Ren Ci's finances began in 2006, it was Yeung's idea to say the money was used to pay a company called Jing Yi for wood to carve statues.
He "begged" Ming Yi to help him cover up the matter. Yeung said in the statement: "He did scold me for not recording the loan properly, but he did agree to help me."
Yeung evidently approached the brother of the owner of Jing Yi to draft a delivery letter so that he could account to the auditors about the loan. He also "begged" one of the two registered owners of Mandala, Mr Wee Beng Seng - who is a former Ren Ci board member - to help him go along with the story. He claimed that the latter agreed, but also "scolded" him.
But Yeung told the CAD officer there was "no intention to cheat any party of this S$50,000".
He further told Mr Tan he was unaware if Ren Ci forbade loans to non-employees, but felt that as he was not yet officially employed by Ren Ci, it was "inappropriate" to borrow money from the charity.
"I decided to record the amount as a loan to Mandala because I helped out regularly in the running of Mandala," Yeung said in his statement. The Singapore permanent resident only got his employment pass in the third quarter of 2004. At the time of the loan in May that year, Ming Yi apparently paid his salary.
When asked by the investigator why he repaid the loan only in 2007, Yeung had attributed it to "tight" cash flow because his stock investments were "stuck, as the prices were down". He evidently sold some of his shares in Hong Kong to repay the loan.
While Mr Tan has been cross-examined by counsel from both sides, Yeung has yet to take the stand to be questioned about the allegedly conspiracy to forge the Ren Ci payment voucher by falsifying accounts and giving false information to the Commissioner of Charities.
Meanwhile, the court granted an application by Ming Yi's lawyers to return the monk's passport so he can pay respects to his mentor who died in Kuala Lumpur. He will be back when the hearing resumes Wednesday. - TODAY
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