A Singapore High Court on 2025-04-29 cut Kenneth Lum Hsien Loong's jail term to 1 year and 3 months after he bribed a Singapore Management University employee with more than $216,000. [1]
Lum's conviction appeal failed. The court ruled that SMU is a "public body" under the Prevention of Corruption Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 7 years' jail in such cases. [1]
The three-judge panel said the original 2 years and 4 months' sentence, imposed by a district judge in October 2024, was manifestly excessive because the harm and culpability were low. [1]
Lum had been convicted on 10 charges. He paid the bribes to Christopher Tan Toh Nghee, then an associate director of business development at SMU Academy. [1]
Tan was sentenced in July 2024 to 3½ years in jail after receiving more than $472,000 in bribes from Lum and two other men. [1]
The case moved through the courts over several months. On 2025-03-18, the court dismissed Lum's appeal against conviction before the panel later allowed his appeal against sentence on 2025-04-29. [1]
