US Navy scam: Sikh woman may face 3-yr jail in Singapore

Deputy public prosecutor Jiang Ke-yue told the court that the information she leaked was linked to 16 US Navy contracts. GDMA submitted bids for 14 of them and was awarded 11 contracts worth some US $ 48 million (around Rs 336 crore) in total.

The prosecution made its submissions to the court and asked for Kaur to be handed over a jail term of at least three years and seven months, the paper said.

Kaur had pleaded guilty to three corruption charges and one count of dealing with the benefits of her criminal activities on June 30 last year. She is now out on bail of 50,000 Singaporean dollars and is expected to be sentenced on July 6. Defence counsel Suresh Damodara told district judge Shaiffudin Saruwan that Kaur was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and went through total hysterectomy in late 2016.

Pleading for the imposition of minimal sentences, Damodara argued that incarceration could “exacerbate” Kaur’s medical condition and lead to a relapse, which would be lifethreatening, the Singapore daily reported.

Francis had pleaded guilty to his offences in the US in January 2015 and remains in custody there. He faces a maximum jail term of 25 years and has since agreed to forfeit US $35 million in personal assets.

DPP Jiang said more than 10 US Navy officials have since pleaded guilty in the US to their roles in the scandal. They include US Navy commander Bobby Pitts, who was in charge of the Fleet Industrial Supply Command in Singapore, and retired Rear Admiral Robert Gilbeau. Both men were sentenced to one-and-a-half years’ jail last year.