Cheong Chin Liang's dishonest acts were uncovered by the company's compliance manager during his exit interview, shortly before he left the company.
However, investigations could not continue because Cheong left Singapore for Malaysia and remained outside of Singapore until Oct 26, 2022 when he was arrested at Marina Bay Cruise Centre. He then decided to abuse his role in the company between October 2016 and February 2017 when he sold International Paint Singapore's products, which included paint and protective coatings, to customers at the retail price and underreported the sale price to the company, thereby pocketing the difference.
Cheong misappropriated a total of S$20,182.08 from the sales that he made, which he used to resolve his financial difficulties and pay for his personal expenses, DPP Kwang said. Cheong, who was not represented by a lawyer, expressed concerns over the compensation order and asked the court if an instalment plan would be permitted instead, and if he would be given time to raise the money.