Former NKF CEO Durai sentenced to 3 months in jail

Former NKF CEO Durai sentenced to 3 months in jail
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 21 June 2007 1729 hrs

SINGAPORE: Former National Kidney Foundation chief TT Durai has been sentenced to three months in jail, but he is filing an appeal against the sentence.

The sentence was announced more than a week after Durai was found guilty of falsifying documents to release S$20,000 of NKF funds to interior designer and Durai’s long-time friend, David Tan.

In his remarks, District Judge Aedit Abdullah said a charity organisation such as the NKF is similar to a government institution as funds are obtained from the public.

Therefore, the criminal act is significant and it has resulted in a lot of damage.

He added that for a person in Durai’s position to initiate the act of arranging for David Tan to falsify the invoice is “particularly culpable”.

As for Durai’s social contributions, the judge said the records speak for themselves, but they cannot make up for Durai’s grave mistake.

Durai will return to the High Court where his appeal will be heard.

In the meantime, 27 June has been set for the prosecution and defence to meet with the judge to decide on a second charge.

The outstanding charge is similar to the current charge, but Channel NewsAsia understands that it involves a different sum of money.

The prosecution may proceed on this second charge, but it is also possible that the charge will be dropped entirely.

For now, Durai will remain in Singapore as his passport is being withheld by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.

He is currently out on a S$100,000 bail.

- CNA/so

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