Singapore court acquits two former marine engineering executives over alleged US$44m bribes in Brazil

Former Sembcorp Marine executives Wong Weng Sun and Lee Fook Kang have been acquitted of all charges over alleged bribes linked to the company’s Brazil dealings. — AFP file pic

By Malay Mail

First Published: Friday, 25 Sep 2026 12:04 PM MYT

SINGAPORE, Sept 25 — Two former senior executives of Singapore offshore and marine engineering company Sembcorp Marine have been acquitted of all charges over alleged bribes linked to its business dealings in Brazil.

CNA reported that Singapore’s Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said prosecutors decided to issue stern warnings to former Sembcorp Marine president and chief executive Wong Weng Sun and former Jurong Shipyard senior general manager Lee Fook Kang instead of proceeding with the cases.

The AGC said the decision took into account the circumstances of the case, including the dismissal of criminal proceedings in Brazil against former consultant Guilherme Esteves de Jesus.

Esteves was convicted in Brazil in 2020 of corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation, but was acquitted of all charges by the Brazilian Federal Lower Court in 2023.

Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau administered the stern warnings on Sept 21, after which prosecutors applied for discharges amounting to acquittals, which the court granted yesterday.

Wong and Lee were charged in March 2024 with allegedly conspiring to pay about US$44 million (RM179 million) through Esteves to Brazilian officials between 2009 and 2014 to advance the interests of Sembcorp Marine subsidiaries.

Wong also faced an obstruction of justice charge for allegedly instructing two employees to remove an email containing evidence of bribes.

His lawyers at WongPartnership said after the acquittal that he had consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing and, to the best of his knowledge, faced no further pending court proceedings.

Sembcorp Marine merged with Keppel Offshore and Marine in 2023 to form Seatrium, which later entered into a deferred prosecution agreement involving US$110 million over corruption offences in Brazil.