Indian-origin ex-senior official of Singapore’s Football Association jailed for cheating

An Indian-origin former deputy director at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) was sentenced to jail for 55 weeks on Tuesday for cheating charges involving supplies to the sporting body through companies linked to him and his wife. The former FAS senior official, Rikram Jit Singh Randhir Singh, misused his position to ensure that the football body’s supply contracts were awarded to his companies.

According to the charges, he dishonestly induced the sports governing body to disburse SGD 609,380 (USD 456,000), from which he and his wife, Asya Kirin Kames, made a profit of SGD 127,896 (USD 82,121), as reported by Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times.

Rikram pleaded guilty to 15 cheating charges and another 30 similar charges taken into consideration for sentencing the 43-year-old man.

“We considered all the facts and circumstances of the case, including the couple’s full cooperation with the authorities. Rikram pleaded guilty to the charges, and all profits earned by All Resources Network (ARN) were returned to FAS,” The Straits Times quoted the Attorney General’s office.

FAS is responsible for developing and advancing football in Singapore and is partially funded by Sport Singapore – a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Rikram joined FAS in December 2010 as a marketing manager and rose through the ranks to become a deputy director in July 2017.

His wife, Asya, 36, was initially handed 46 charges, but they were later withdrawn, resulting in her being granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal. She worked in the communications department at FAS in 2013.