Who is Lum Kok Seng, the new name in ex-minister Iswaran's latest ...

SINGAPORE — Singapore's former Transport Minister S Iswaran was on Monday (March 25) handed fresh charges alleging that he obtained valuable things while he was a public servant. 

The items — said to be worth S$18,956.94 in total — were obtained from a man named Lum Kok Seng, court documents showed.

WHAT IS LUM'S CONNECTION TO THE ISWARAN CASE?

Under Iswaran's eight new charges, he is said to have obtained the items from Mr Lum between November 2021 and November 2022. 

They are:

Four bottles of Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila whisky worth S$1,084.46  Two bottles of Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila whisky worth S$524.23, three bottles of L'Evangile 2014 wine worth S$394.20, three bottles of Pauillac De Latour 2015 wine worth S$186.31, three bottles of Albert Bichot Domaine du Clos Frantin Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru 2015 wine worth S$1,177.21 and three bottles of Pichon Lalande 2010 wine worth S$955.80 A TaylorMade golf driver worth S$749 Two bottles of Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila whisky worth S$524.23 A set of Honma Beres BE-08 Black AQ MX golf clubs worth S$4,420 A Brompton T Line bicycle worth S$7,907.50 Two bottles of M&H Elements Sherry Cask whisky worth S$198 A Scotty Cameron Phantom golf putter worth S$600 and two golf chippers worth S$100 each

Iswaran, who was transport minister at the time, is said to have obtained these for no consideration from Mr Lum, whom he knew to have been related to a contract for works on the Tanah Merah MRT Station.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT LUM KOK SENG?

CNA has asked the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau if it is investigating Mr Lum, a Singaporean. His name is not currently listed in the judiciary hearing list.

Identified as Mr David Lum Kok Seng on his company's website, Mr Lum is the managing director of Singapore Exchange-listed Lum Chang Holdings, which has subsidiaries in construction, property development and investments. 

Mr Lum has been managing director since Sept 1, 1985.

He is also a director at a number of subsidiaries, including Lum Chang Building Contractors, Lum Chang Properties, Lum Chang Property Investments and Lum Chang Asia Pacific. 

On Lum Chang's website, it is stated that Mr Lum has more than 40 years of industry experience and "successfully led the expansion of the group’s property development activities in Singapore, Malaysia and the United Kingdom".

It adds that Mr Lum's market knowledge, strategic business contacts and relentless entrepreneurial drive have significantly contributed to the development of the group.

His brother Raymond Lum Kwan Sung has been executive chairman of Lum Chang Holdings since 1984. 

Mr David Lum has two sons, Adrian Lum Wen-Hong and Kelvin Lum Wen-Sum, both of whom are also directors at the company.

Outside of the Lum Chang network, Mr David Lum sits on the board of directors at Nanyang Girls' High School. He is also a shareholder at Lasalle College of the Arts and the Chinese Opera Institute. 

WHAT IS LUM CHANG KNOWN FOR?

The Lum Chang Holdings website lists Lum Chang Building Contractors as one of its subsidiaries in the business of construction, alongside Lum Chang Interior and Lum Chang Brandsbridge.

Lum Chang Building Contractors has been involved in projects with the Singapore Government. It has two ongoing ones with the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The first is a tender awarded in 2016 for addition and alteration works to Tanah Merah MRT Station and existing viaducts. This includes adding a platform — expected to be completed this year — and a concourse to the East-West Line station.

The contract was valued at S$325 million. 

The other project was awarded in 2018 and involves the construction of a 1.95km section of the North-South Corridor (Tunnel) between Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 9. 

A media release showed that the contract was worth S$799 million. 

LTA has not awarded any contracts to Lum Chang Building Contractors since 2019, the authority said in a statement after Iswaran's charges on Monday. 

Lum Chang Building Contractors previously designed and constructed other MRT stations, including the Downtown Line's Bukit Panjang MRT Station and tunnels.

Apart from LTA, Lum Chang Building Contractors has done projects with Singapore's national water agency PUB. 

WHAT ELSE HAS LUM CHANG BEEN IN THE NEWS FOR?

Lum Chang Building Contractors has also been accused of a Workplace Safety and Health Act breach resulting in the death of worker Shajahan Mohammad.

It has been charged in the State Courts over an incident in December 2020, where it was the principal to construction company BLT Geoworks employees at a work site near the junction of Upper Changi Road East and Koh Sek Lim Road.

Court documents stated that Lum Chang Building Contractors failed to take measures to ensure the safety and health of these employees, leading to Shajahan's death.

Lum Chang Building Contractors' employee Ong Yen Sheng, who was appointed workplace and safety health officer at the work site, was also charged.

Ong's case is set for further mention on March 28, while that of his company is slated for April 16. CNA

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