Advanced Systems lodges police report over former execs' alleged offences, unauthorised fund transfers
On Tuesday (Jul 22), ASA said it lodged a report in relation to alleged breaches made by Seah Chong Hoe, who was terminated as CEO on Jun 19, and former director Mohd Sopiyan Bin Mohd Rashdi, who resigned as non-independent, non-executive director on the same day.
Seah and Mohd Sopiyan were found to have bypassed the board in making themselves authorised bank signatories of the company's Maybank bank account. This was revealed during an investigation of the company's past transactions made from January 2025 till Seah's termination on Jun 19.
The two told Maybank that a board resolution was passed to authorise a change in the bank account's signatories, although the company investigation showed that no such resolution was passed, ASA said.
Following the unauthorised change in bank signatories, cheques were issued from the Maybank account to Seah, totalling (more than) S$1 million, without the knowledge or authorisation of the board.
These included a first cheque for S$442,052.18, a second for S$259,013 and a third for S$310,000.
Prior to the three cheques being issued, Seah on or around Jun 12, 2025, had instructed S$903,594.46 to be transferred to ASA's bank account from a bank account belonging to its Malaysia-based wholly owned subsidiary, Emerald Precision Engineering.
Additionally, Seah has yet to return ASA several company documents that he had control over during his tenure as CEO, despite 'repeated requests' for him to do so, the company said. The documents include financial, commercial and other corporate records.
ASA is a provider of backend equipment solutions, technologies and distribution services. It manufactures automated backend equipment for the semiconductor assembly process and equipment contract manufacturing.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
16-year-old suffers concussion after getting beaten up by bullies in front of teacher
Photo: Vecteezy (for illustration purposes only) MALAYSIA: A 16-year-old secondary school student was reportedly assaulted by several others in front of a teacher at a school in Sungai Petani on Monday (July 21). The attack left the student unconscious and hospitalised with serious injuries, including a concussion and trauma to his left eye. According to Sin Chew Daily, the incident took place after the teenager returned to his classroom after an eye examination and was confronted by three to four classmates. The boy, who had sat down to read a novel, was allegedly provoked and harassed by the group. The victim switched seats multiple times to avoid confrontation, but the taunts turned physical after one boy snatched the novel from his hands. The student was then punched in full view of a female intern teacher. Several other students then joined in the assault, beating the victim until he lost consciousness. Medical examinations later confirmed that the boy suffered a concussion, periorbital hematoma bruising around the left eye, and traumatic uveitis. Doctors have advised the boy to rest for at least three days. In the aftermath of the assault, the parents of one of the alleged attackers reportedly approached the school in an attempt to reach a private settlement with the victim's family. However, the proposal was firmly rejected. The boy's parents have since lodged a police report. The victim's older sister, who attends the same school, told local media that her brother had been bullied for over a year. She revealed that he had previously had his pants pulled down by classmates multiple times but had brushed it off as 'harmless joking' and chose not to report the incidents. Sungai Petani District Police Chief confirmed on Tuesday (July 22) that police have opened an investigation under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt. As of now, no arrests have been made. Mr Zheng (transliterated from Mandarin), the victim's father, expressed his appreciation for the swift response from the school and the police. Speaking briefly to reporters after attending a school hearing earlier in the day, he said he was encouraged by the school's promise to strengthen student safety measures. However, he made clear that the family would not be dropping the case. Under Malaysian law, a person found guilty under Section 323 may face up to one year in prison, a fine of up to RM2,000 (approximately S$606), or both. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
ST Engineering bags new contracts worth S$4.7 billion in Q2 2025
[SINGAPORE] ST Engineering on Wednesday (Jul 23) announced that it secured S$4.7 billion in new contracts in the second quarter of 2025. These comprise S$1.5 billion from the commercial aerospace segment, S$1.5 billion from the defence and public security segment, and S$1.7 billion from the urban solutions and satcom segment. The commercial aerospace segment clinched several new contracts across its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), as well as its aerostructures and systems sub-units. Some of the MRO contracts include a component services agreement with a South-east Asian airline, an offload contract with a major engine original equipment manufacturer, as well as a five-year agreement with Air Cairo. The aerostructures and systems sub-unit of the commercial aerospace segment secured several passenger-to-freighter orders, including one from Confity Capital Partners, a Dubai-based global financial advisory and growth equity firm. ST Engineering noted that demand for nacelles and composite floor panels remained steady, supported by increasing new aircraft production. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Separately, the defence and public security segment won new orders across its business lines. For instance, the digital systems business was awarded contracts by Singapore's Ministry of Defence to provide a suite of mine countermeasure unmanned systems to detect and eliminate underwater mines. This includes a fleet of unmanned surface vessels and autonomous underwater vehicles. Meanwhile, the segment also scored contracts to implement data centre services, training and simulation, as well as develop and integrate command and control systems that are enabled by artificial intelligence, among other things. The cyber sub-segment secured new contracts for its advanced encryption products and the provision of cloud-based managed security services, and a cyber range for a customer in Asia. The land system business secured orders for ammunition as well as weapon MRO services, while the marine segment won various ship repair and maintenance contracts for commercial and naval ships. The defence aerospace business also won contracts to provide MRO services for international customers, including a North African air force. ST Engineering also won contracts to provide turnkey rail services for the Taichung MRT Blue Line, as well as its platform screen door solution for the Chennai Metro project and the Xidong Line in New Taipei City. Meanwhile, smart utilities and infrastructure contracts included integrated smart security management projects for implementation in Singapore. Satcom received ground infrastructure contracts for the government, defence and enterprise segments in the US, Europe and the Middle East. ST Engineering does not expect the contracts to have a material impact on the group's consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share for the current financial year. Shares of the company closed 2.13 per cent or S$0.18 lower at S$8.27, before the announcement.

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Spy cockroaches and AI robots: Germany plots the future of warfare
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz talks to soldiers in the so-called \"Forest of Remembrance\" following his visit to the Operational Command of the German armed forces Bundeswehr in Schwielowsee near Berlin, Germany, June 28, 2025. Michael Kappeler/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo MUNICH/BERLIN/FRANKFURT - For Gundbert Scherf - the co-founder of Germany's Helsing, Europe's most valuable defence start-up - Russia's invasion of Ukraine changed everything. Scherf had to fight hard to attract investment after starting his company - which produces military strike drones and battlefield AI - four years ago. Now, that's the least of his problems. The Munich-based company more than doubled its valuation to $12 billion at a fundraising last month. "Europe this year, for the first time in decades, is spending more on defense technology acquisition than the U.S.," said Scherf. The former partner at McKinsey & Company says Europe may be on the cusp of a transformation in defence innovation akin to the Manhattan Project - the scientific push that saw the U.S. rapidly develop nuclear weapons during World War Two. "Europe is now coming to terms with defense." Reuters spoke to two dozens executives, investors and policymakers to examine how Germany - Europe's largest economy - aims to play a central role in the rearming the continent. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government views AI and start-up technology as key to its defence plans and is slashing bureaucracy to connect startups directly to the upper echelons of its military, the sources told Reuters. Shaped by the trauma of Nazi militarism and a strong postwar pacifist ethos, Germany long maintained a relatively small and cautious defence sector, sheltered by U.S. security guarantees. Germany's business model, shaped by a deep aversion to risk, has also favoured incremental improvements over disruptive innovation. No more. With U.S. military support now more uncertain, Germany - one of the biggest backers of Ukraine - plans to nearly triple its regular defence budget to around 162 billion euros ($175 billion) per year by 2029. Much of that money will go into reinventing the nature of warfare, the sources said. Helsing is part of a wave of German defence start-ups developing cutting-edge technology, from tank-like AI robots and unmanned mini-submarines to battle-ready spy cockroaches. "We want to help give Europe its spine back," said Scherf. Some of these smaller firms are now advising the government alongside established firms - so-called primes such as Rheinmetall and Hensoldt - that have less incentive to focus primarily on innovation, given their long backlogs for conventional systems, one of the sources said. A new draft procurement law, expected to be approved by Merz's cabinet on Wednesday, aims to reduce hurdles for cash-strapped start-ups to join tenders by enabling advance payment to these firms, according to a version dated June 25, reviewed by Reuters. The law would also entitle authorities to limit tenders to bidders inside the European Union. Marc Wietfeld, CEO and founder of autonomous robots maker ARX Robotics, said a recent meeting with German defence minister Boris Pistorius hammered home how deep the rethink in Berlin goes. "He told me: 'Money is no longer an excuse - it's there now'. That was a turning point," he said. GERMANY IN THE LEAD Since Donald Trump's return to the political stage and his renewed questioning of America's commitment to NATO, Germany has committed to meet the alliance's new target of 3.5% of GDP on defense spending by 2029 - faster than most European allies. Officials in Berlin have emphasized the need to foster a European defence industry rather than rely on U.S. companies. But the hurdles towards scaling up industry champions in Germany - and Europe more broadly - are considerable. Unlike in the United States, the market is fragmented in Europe. Each country has its own set of procurement standards to fulfill contracts. The United States, the world's top military spender, already has an established stable of defence giants, like Lockheed Martin and RTX, and an advantage in key areas, including satellite technology, fighter jets and precise-guided munitions. Washington also began boosting defence tech startups in 2015 - including Shield AI, drone maker Anduril and software company Palantir - by awarding them parts of military contracts. European startups until recently languished with little government support. But an analysis by Aviation Week in May showed Europe's 19 top defence spenders - including Turkey and Ukraine - were projected to spend 180.1 billion this year on military procurement compared, to 175.6 billion for the United States. Washington's overall military spending will remain higher. Hans Christoph Atzpodien, head of Germany's security and defence sector association BDSV, said one challenge was that the military's procurement system was geared toward established suppliers and not well suited to the fast pace that new technologies require. Germany's defence ministry said in a statement it was taking steps to accelerate procurement and to better integrate startups in order to make new technologies quickly available to the Bundeswehr. Annette Lehnigk-Emden, head of the armed forces' powerful procurement agency, highlighted drones and AI as emerging fields that Germany needs to develop. "The changes they're bringing to the battlefield are as revolutionary as the introduction of the machine gun, tank, or airplane," she told Reuters. SPY COCKROACHES Sven Weizenegger, who heads up the Cyber Innovation hub, the Bundeswehr's innovation accelerator, said the war in Ukraine was also changing social attitudes, removing a stigma towards working in the defence sector. "Germany has developed a whole new openness towards the issue of security since the invasion," he said. Weizenegger said he was receiving 20-30 Linkedin requests a day, compared to maybe 2-3 weekly back in 2020, with ideas for defence technology to develop. Some of the ideas under development feel akin to science fiction – like Swarm Biotactics' cyborg cockroaches that are equipped with specialised miniature backpacks that enable real-time data collection via cameras for example. Electrical stimuli should allow humans to control the insects' movements remotely. The aim is for them to provide surveillance information in hostile environments - for example information about enemy positions. "Our bio-robots - based on living insects - are equipped with neural stimulation, sensors, and secure communication modules," said CEO Stefan Wilhelm. "They can be steered individually or operate autonomously in swarms. In the first half of the 20th century, German scientists pioneered many military technologies that became global standards, from ballistic missiles to jet aircraft and guided weapons. But following its defeat in World War II, Germany was demilitarized and its scientific talent was dispersed. Wernher von Braun, who invented the first ballistic missile for the Nazis, was one of hundreds of German scientists and engineers transported to the United States in the wake of World War II, where he later worked at NASA and developed the rocket that took Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. In recent decades, defence innovation has been a powerful driver of economic progress. Tech like the internet, GPS, semiconductors and jet engines originated in military research programs before transforming civilian life. Hit by high energy prices, a slowdown in demand for its exports and competition from China, Germany's $4.75 trillion economy contracted over the last two years. Expanding military research could provide an economic fillip. "We just need to get to this mindset: a strong defense industrial base means a strong economy and innovation on steroids," said Markus Federle, managing partner at defence-focused investment firm Tholus Capital. ESCAPING 'THE VALLEY OF DEATH' Risk aversion among European investors had in the past disadvantaged startups, which struggled to get the capital they need to survive the 'valley of death' – the critical early stage when costs are high and sales low. But a boost in defence spending by European governments following Russia's invasion of Ukraine has investors looking for opportunities. Europe now boasts three start-ups with a unicorn valuation of more than $1 billion: Helsing, German drone maker Quantum Systems, and Portugal's Tekever, which also manufactures drones. "There's a lot of pressure now on Germany being the lead nation of the European defense," said Sven Kruck, Quantum's chief strategy officer. Germany has become Ukraine's second-biggest military backer after the United States. Orders that might once have taken years to approve now take months and European startups have had the opportunity to test their products quickly in the field, several sources said. Venture capital funding of European defence tech hit $1 billion in 2024, up from a modest $373 million in 2022, and is expected to surge even more this year. "Society has recognized that we have to defend our democracies," said Christian Saller, general partner at HV Capital, an investor in both ARX and Quantum Systems. Venture capital funding has grown faster in Germany than elsewhere, according to a data analysis by Dealroom for Reuters. German defence startups have received $1.4 billion in the last five years from investors, followed by UK, the data shows. Jack Wang, partner at venture capital firm Project A, said many German defence startups - rooted in the country's engineering prowess - are good at integrating established components into scalable systems. "Quality of talent in Europe is extremely high, but as a whole, there's no better country, no better talent that we've seen other than in Germany," he said. Weakness in Germany's automotive industry means there is production capacity to spare, including in the Mittelstand: the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that form the backbone of Germany's economy. Stefan Thumann, CEO of Bavarian startup Donaustahl, which produces loitering munitions, said he receives 3 to 5 applications daily from workers at automotive companies. "The startups just need the brains to do the engineering and prototyping," he said. "And the German Mittelstand will be their muscles." REUTERS