High Court Overturns Acquittal in LTA Bribery Case, Citing Judicial Misconduct
SINGAPORE – The High Court has set aside the 2024 acquittal of Pay Teow Heng and Pek Lian Guan, who were accused of bribing a then-Land Transport Authority (LTA) official, following an appeal by the prosecution. The decision stems from concerns over the conduct of the presiding District Judge, Soh Tze Bian, who has since retired.
Judicial Copying and Breach of Natural Justice
Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, in a written judgment delivered on March 23, 2026, found that District Judge Soh extensively copied from the defense’s submissions and presented them as his own findings. This practice, coupled with a failure to adequately consider the prosecution’s evidence, constituted a breach of natural justice. The Chief Justice stated that a fair-minded observer would reasonably suspect the judge failed to judiciously consider the material before him.
Previous Concerns Regarding Judge Soh
Prior to his retirement in 2025, Judge Soh had faced similar criticisms from Supreme Court judges on two separate occasions. In September 2023, Chief Justice Menon previously flagged the judge’s practice of reproducing large portions of prosecution submissions with minimal changes as “wholly unsatisfactory.” Further concerns were raised in December 2024 when Justice Aidan Xu highlighted the use of substantial portions of prosecution submissions without independent analysis.
The Bribery Allegations
Pay Teow Heng, formerly a director at Tiong Seng Contractors, and Pek Lian Guan, the firm’s former managing director, were accused of offering bribes totaling $350,000 to Henry Foo Yung Thye, then LTA deputy group director, in 2017 and 2018. The alleged bribes were intended to advance Tiong Seng’s business interests with LTA, specifically concerning a contract for the construction of an MRT station initially valued at $315 million.
Background of the Case
The prosecution’s case centered on loans facilitated by Pay and Pek to Foo, who had requested financial assistance. Pay initially hesitated but ultimately presented the requests to Pek, who approved the loans through staff loan mechanisms. Pay maintained that the loans were offered as a personal favor to a friend and lacked corrupt intent, while Pek asserted no intention of benefiting the company through the loans.
Previous Acquittal and Subsequent Appeal
In October 2024, District Judge Soh acquitted Pay and Pek, citing inaccuracies and unreliability in statements obtained by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). The prosecution subsequently appealed the acquittal, arguing that the judge had improperly adopted the defense’s arguments and failed to adequately assess the evidence.
High Court’s Decision and Next Steps
The High Court’s decision to set aside the acquittal does not automatically trigger a retrial. Instead, Chief Justice Menon will review the trial evidence directly, considering the length and cost of the original proceedings. This approach aims to resolve the matter efficiently, given the trial spanned over 40 days and more than two years.
Related Conviction
In September 2021, Henry Foo Yung Thye was sentenced to five-and-a-half years’ jail for accepting approximately $1.24 million in bribes from various contractors and subcontractors.
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