Latest news with #Quek
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Jail for former Sats employee linked to corrupt arrangements involving over $18k
Leong Poh Keong was sentenced to one year, three months and three weeks' jail. PHOTO: ST FILE Jail for former Sats employee linked to corrupt arrangements involving over $18k SINGAPORE – A training, quality and projects executive at Sats Maintenance Centre was involved in corrupt arrangements worth more than $18,000 with multiple representatives of the company's vendors. Leong Poh Keong, who is no longer employed by Sats – a ground handler and in-flight caterer at Changi Airport – had disclosed confidential tender-related information to the representatives. This allowed Dominic Quek Chun Hua, Lim Ban Hock and Virgil Joy Angelus to access the pricing information of competitors, severely compromising the tender process. On June 26, Leong was sentenced to one year, three months and three weeks' jail. The 39-year-old Singaporean had pleaded guilty to two counts of graft involving more than $14,000, as well as one count each of cheating and obstructing the course of justice. Eight other charges, including graft-related ones linked to the remaining amount, were considered during his sentencing. The three vendor representatives were earlier dealt with in court. Although the case involved 'tainted contracts', Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong said there is no evidence that Sats suffered actual losses. Sats Maintenance Centre supported the company's ground support equipment section, which managed specialised vehicles on the airport tarmac. At the time of the offences, Leong's responsibilities included drafting bidding documents based on Sats' desired specifications for potential suppliers. He also acted as a liaison between potential bidders and the tender evaluation committee, which included members of the maintenance centre's management. Quek was then an operations manager at Tom's Tyre (TT), which had supplied tyres and rims to customers, including Sats. In January 2015, TT entered into a contract with Sats for the supply, delivery and fixing of new and existing tyres. In late 2019, Sats told TT, the incumbent supplier, and other firms that it was launching an open tender exercise for tyre-related services. The tender was for a contract period from Jan 1, 2020, to Dec 31, 2022, with an option for Sats to extend the contract by a further two years. Around mid-2020, Leong was engaged as the writer for the open tender, the court heard. In or around April that year, Leong approached Quek for a loan, citing 'health problems' of his child, who was living in Vietnam. Between April 2020 and January 2021, Quek handed Leong a total of $9,500 over three occasions. During this period, Leong told Quek that another tyre supplier had submitted a tender price that was about 20 per cent lower than TT's. Leong also said he was prepared to recommend TT for the award of the open tender, if the firm was willing to reduce its tender price by 20 per cent. However, investigations did not reveal if TT reduced its tender price. DPP Wong said that the open tender exercise was eventually closed in April 2021 after Sats discovered Leong's misconduct. The tender was not awarded to TT or any other prospective bidders. Meanwhile, Lim was a director at Env-Pro Tech Engineering and TK Engineering at the time of the offences. Env-Pro was involved in fabrication activities, while TK Engineering manufactured vehicle parts. On one occasion between 2019 and 2020, Leong asked Lim for a loan as his son had 'kidney failure and required dialysis treatment'. Leong later received a bribe of more than $4,000. In October 2020, Leong told Lim that Sats Maintenance Centre had an open tender exercise for repair services. He shared with Lim confidential information, including the price lists of the then incumbent contractor. TK Engineering clinched the job and signed a contract with Sats in January 2021. As for Virgil, he was involved in an unrelated case. At the time of the offences, he held directorships in businesses, including project management firm Elizabeth-Zion Aviation and Ports, and technological services company Elizabeth-Zion Technology. Between 2016 and 2017, Sats awarded Elizabeth-Zion Technology a project to build a driving simulator for employees. Between 2017 and 2018, Elizabeth-Zion Aviation and Ports was awarded a Sats contract to provide manpower for refuelling operations. Some time between 2019 and 2020, Leong approached Virgil for a corrupt loan of $1,000 , which the latter gave him. On or around Feb 19, 2021, Leong found out from a colleague that Sats wanted to terminate his employment contract, and that investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau into his case would follow soon after. Leong then contacted Quek, Lim and Virgil and advised them to delete any incriminating text messages they had exchanged with him. On June 26, Leong's bail was set at $30,000. He is expected to begin serving his sentence on July 10. Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
AsiaOne
6 days ago
- Sport
- AsiaOne
Izaac Quek becomes first local-born Singapore player to join China Table Tennis Super League, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — Featuring China's best current players, up-and-coming starlets and retired legends, the China Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL) is widely regarded as the sport's most competitive league. And Izaac Quek is hoping his stint with Anhui Zhongcheng will help take his game to the next level after becoming the first local-born Singapore player to join the CTTSL. He will follow in the footsteps of China-born Singaporeans such as Feng Tianwei and current national men's team coach Gao Ning to play in the prestigious tournament, the standard of which is seen by some as comparable to the world championships. While his club comprise relatively unheralded players such as 34th-ranked Wen Ruibo, Ning Xiankun (133rd) and Niu Guankai (175th), Quek will get the chance to pit his skills against the world's top two players Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin, as well as Olympic champions such as Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin, who no longer compete on the World Table Tennis circuit. The 19-year-old, who has played in leagues in India, France and Spain, told The Straits Times: "This is the best league in the world and not everyone gets to play in it, so I want to make full use of this stint to learn as much as I can from the best players in the world. "Wen is 18 and I kept in touch with him after previous competitions, and I'm also looking forward to test myself against Fan, whom I have not played against. I've heard there will be two team matches in a day for four days in a row, so I have to get myself physically ready for this challenge." Quek missed the June 6-10 first stage of the competition in Hebei as he was helping Dabang Delhi to a top-four finish in India's Ultimate Table Tennis from May 29 to June 15. He will make his CTTSL debut in the July 25-28 second stage in Fujian before the Aug 29-Sept 1 third stage in Xinjiang. Anhui Zhongcheng are currently sixth out of nine teams, with the top four sides advancing to the championship play-offs. Eddy Tay, Singapore Table Tennis Association senior manager for high performance, shared that the opportunity arose from their relationship with Anhui Zhongcheng, who provided sparring partners for the STTA. He added: "While their club president was here with the players, we talked about whether it would be possible for them to recruit Izaac. They felt that at his age, Izaac has potential and room for growth, and hope that his youth and competitiveness will help them. "We have made a request for him to play as much as possible as we don't want to send him there just to sit on the bench. We hope he can gain as much experience as possible training with and playing against the Chinese." Singapore's first Under-15 boys world No. 1 in 2021, Quek had enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few years, as he claimed notable scalps such as India's Commonwealth Games champion Sharath Kamal and Sweden's 2019 world championships silver medallist Mattias Falck en route to a career-high men's singles ranking of 55th in November 2023. He also teamed up with Koen Pang to achieve some outstanding results in the men's doubles, as they stunned China's then world No. 1 Yuan Licen and Xiang Peng to reach the last four at the WTT Finals in 2024, the year they also won silver at the Asian championships. In January, they rose to fifth in the world. However, Quek's ranking has slipped to 106th in the men's singles and 12th in the men's doubles as he started a business diploma course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic after the 2024 Olympics. But both the STTA and the player are not unduly worried. "There are mitigating factors for the dip as he is just making the transition to polytechnic and has not played in as many competitions as before," Tay said. "Despite recent losses, including narrow defeats at the world championships, we feel Izaac has generally done well and has improved in terms of his consistency and overall game play in both the singles and doubles." Tay said: "We will need to strategise in terms of his tournament plan. The players' world ranking is not of such a big concern now as it would be in 2027 before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. So we are devoting more time to training, and the overseas stints will have great value for his development." For his part, Quek has made adjustments to his game to take fewer risks and try to be stronger in rallies. He has also increased the duration of each of his endurance exercises from 10 to 15 minutes in his 12 training sessions across each week. He said: "I was on a honeymoon period in 2023 when many players didn't know much about me, and things were going well for me and I had some wins in big tournaments like the Singapore Smash. "This year, I still had some good wins against strong opponents, such as China's top-30 player Chen Yuanyu at the 2025 Asian Cup group stage, but they were not in such tournaments with a lot of ranking points. "I feel my game is stronger now and I'm more experienced, so I'm not focusing on the ranking now. I just need to focus on my game and naturally, the ranking will come." Before his CTTSL debut, Quek will spearhead a group of 10 Singaporeans competing at the June 26 -July 2 Asian Youth Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He said: "My focus will firstly be on motivating the younger ones to get some wins with me in the team event first, before my singles event later. "My game is good enough for this level and there's no player there that I think I have no chance to beat, and I think we have good players in our team too." [embed] [[nid:717602]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Izaac Quek becomes first local-born Singapore player to join China Table Tennis Super League
Izaac Quek will follow in the footsteps of China-born Singaporeans to play in the prestigious tournament. PHOTO: ITTF SINGAPORE – Featuring China's best current players, up-and-coming starlets and retired legends, the China Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL) is widely regarded as the sport's most competitive league. And Izaac Quek is hoping his stint with Anhui Zhongcheng will help take his game to the next level after becoming the first local-born Singapore player to join the CTTSL. He will follow in the footsteps of China-born Singaporeans such as Feng Tianwei and current national men's team coach Gao Ning to play in the prestigious tournament, the standard of which is seen by some as comparable to the world championships. While his club comprise relatively unheralded players such as 34th-ranked Wen Ruibo, Ning Xiankun (133rd) and Niu Guankai (175th), Quek will get the chance to pit his skills against the world's top two players Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin, as well as Olympic champions such as Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin, who no longer compete on the World Table Tennis circuit. The 19-year-old, who has played in leagues in India, France and Spain, told The Straits Times: 'This is the best league in the world and not everyone gets to play in it, so I want to make full use of this stint to learn as much as I can from the best players in the world. 'Wen is 18 and I kept in touch with him after previous competitions, and I'm also looking forward to test myself against Fan, whom I have not played against. I've heard there will be two team matches in a day for four days in a row, so I have to get myself physically ready for this challenge.' Quek missed the June 6-10 first stage of the competition in Hebei as he was helping Dabang Delhi to a top-four finish in India's Ultimate Table Tennis from May 29 to June 15. He will make his CTTSL debut in the July 25-28 second stage in Fujian before the Aug 29-Sept 1 third stage in Xinjiang. Anhui Zhongcheng are currently sixth out of nine teams, with the top four sides advancing to the championship play-offs. Eddy Tay, Singapore Table Tennis Association senior manager for high performance, shared that the opportunity arose from their relationship with Anhui Zhongcheng, who provided sparring partners for the STTA. He added: 'While their club president was here with the players, we talked about whether it would be possible for them to recruit Izaac. They felt that at his age, Izaac has potential and room for growth, and hope that his youth and competitiveness will help them. 'We have made a request for him to play as much as possible as we don't want to send him there just to sit on the bench. We hope he can gain as much experience as possible training with and playing against the Chinese.' Singapore's first Under-15 boys world No. 1 in 2021, Quek had enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few years, as he claimed notable scalps such as India's Commonwealth Games champion and Sharath Kamal and Sweden's 2019 world championships silver medallist Mattias Falck en route to a career-high men's singles ranking of 55th in November 2023. He also teamed up with Koen Pang to achieve some outstanding results in the men's doubles, as they stunned China's then world No. 1 Yuan Licen and Xiang Peng to reach the last four at the WTT Finals in 2024, when they also won silver at the Asian championships. In January, they rose to fifth in the world. However, Quek's ranking has slipped to 106th in the men's singles and 12th in the men's doubles as he started a business diploma course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic after the 2024 Olympics. But both the STTA and the player are not unduly worried. 'There are mitigating factors for the dip as he is just making the transition to polytechnic and has not played in as many competitions as before,' Tay said. 'Despite recent losses, including narrow defeats at the world championships, we feel Izaac has generally done well and has improved in terms of his consistency and overall game play in both the singles and doubles.' Tay said: 'We will need to strategise in terms of his tournament plan. The players' world ranking is not of such a big concern now as it would be in 2027 before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. So we are devoting more time to training, and the overseas stints will have great value for his development.' On his part, Quek has made adjustments to his game to take lesser risks and try to be stronger in rallies. He has also increased the duration of each of his endurance exercises from 10 to 15 minutes in his 12 training sessions across each week. He said: 'I was on a honeymoon period in 2023 when many players didn't know much about me, and things were going well for me and I had some wins in big tournaments like the Singapore Smash. 'This year, I still had some good wins against strong opponents, such as China's top-30 player Chen Yuanyu at the 2025 Asian Cup group stage, but they were not in such tournaments with a lot of ranking points. 'I feel my game is stronger now and I'm more experienced, so I'm not focusing on the ranking now. I just need to focus on my game and naturally, the ranking will come.' Before his CTTSL debut, Quek will spearhead a group of 10 Singaporeans competing at the June 26-July 2 Asian Youth Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He said: 'My focus will firstly be on motivating the younger ones to get some wins with me in the team event first, before my singles event later. 'My game is good enough for this level and there's no player there that I think I have no chance to beat, and I think we have good players in our team too.' David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Wales Online
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Sam Quek taken to hospital after finding blood in terrifying ordeal
Sam Quek taken to hospital after finding blood in terrifying ordeal Sam Quek will line up for the latest edition of Soccer Aid at Manchester United's Old Trafford on Sunday night Olympian and TV presenter Sam Quek (Image: Amir Hossain/) Sam Quek is back on our screen this evening as she laces up her boots for the latest edition of Soccer Aid. Quek is no stranger to sporting arenas, with the former Olympic gold medallist a decorated star in her own right. At 36 years of age, the winner with Great Britain's women's hockey team in Rio 2016 has now transitioned smoothly into broadcasting since hanging up her boots. Her portfolio includes Olympic Games, football, NFL and rugby commentary. Quek is quickly becoming one of the most popular names in sports broadcasting but she has had to put up with a fair bit of flak in her last major sports TV job. After presenting the Grand National on ITV earlier this year, Quek faced a backlash from racing fans - despite being an ardent racing enthusiast who has owned contenders at prestigious events like the Cheltenham Festival and the 1,000 Guineas. Responding to critics Confronting displeasure from certain quarters of the racing fanbase who felt her joining ITV Racing had "ruined" the Grand National and who debated her racing insight, Quek spoke to the Racing Post. In the face of criticism, she described the response as akin to "a bit like hysteria". Article continues below She noted positively: "In every sport I've worked in over the last 10 years, the reception I've been given has always felt quite welcoming. "So I was surprised by the reaction I got when it was announced I was joining the ITV Racing team for Aintree. I was actually disappointed. My experience of racing to that point had always been so positive, welcoming and inclusive. After the reaction to the ITV announcement, it feels like that has been flipped on its head." She added: "I started getting tagged on social media and things began to build up. People were asking, 'Why is a hockey player doing racing? What does she know about horses?' "Later in the day I saw someone joking that if I had gone and negotiated a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, some people would still have said, 'But why was she there?' I've even had people saying I'm not from Liverpool just because I now live on the Wirral. "I'm not there to replace AP McCoy, Ruby Walsh or Alice Plunkett. I'm there to do the crossover work and, to be honest, I think I'm perfect for that. I want to get across my passion for racing to people who might be watching the biggest race in the world for the first time." 'Jealous' partner Quek is married to husband Tom. Tom, the offspring of a wealthy entrepreneur, set out on his own successful business venture, Antona Student Properties, following a generous £1million boost from his father after finishing his studies. He's not only a savvy businessman but also graced television screens in Channel 4's Secret Millionaire. He and his partner are doting parents to two youngsters, four-year-old Molly and three-year-old Isaac. But their journey to parenthood was marred by profound sorrow before they were blessed with Molly. After enduring the anguish of a miscarriage at 10 weeks in January 2020, the Olympian chose to wait until she was six months pregnant before sharing the news of her pregnancy with Molly. Speaking candidly with OK! magazine during an intimate interview and photoshoot, Quek revealed their mixed emotions. "It's a strange one," she reflected. "Obviously it's the happiest moment of our lives so far, but what happened in January took a toll on both of us and we weren't able to speak about it properly." Their caution during the subsequent pregnancy was tinged with sadness, as Sam explained: "This second pregnancy I've stopped myself getting too excited, which is quite sad. But it made it easier to keep quiet because in the back of your head, you think, 'What if?'" Quek has spoken candidly about a frightening episode during her pregnancy with Isaac, which led to an emergency caesarean section mere days before her due date. Sharing the details with OK! magazine, the ex-hockey player remembered being startled by contractions and then finding she was bleeding. "I woke up and felt a bit of a twinge," Quek recounted. "Those twinges gradually grew stronger and stronger and turned into contractions. I'd been having recurring nightmares that if this birth went to a C-section, I was going to haemorrhage. I just felt like something was going to go wrong for this one, I don't know why. "Naturally, when you're pregnant and see blood, it's never a good sign," she continued. "The consultant said 'just to be safe, we're going to whisk you down for an emergency C-section. We don't want to take the chance that it could be anything sinister, so we would advise getting him out'". Having gone through surgery with husband Tom alongside her, Quek described the rush of feelings upon meeting her new arrival. "When his little face popped up over the curtain, it was the realisation that he'd finally got here, was safe and was going to join our family of three to make it four," she said with joy. Tom, whom Quek considers her "best mate and number one supporter", was acknowledged to have mixed emotions regarding her stint on Strictly Come Dancing, as she revealed he might feel "jealous" of her participation in the show. Nonetheless, Quek dismissed any concerns over the notorious Strictly curse, making it clear her husband's a great supporter of the dance show. "My husband is genuinely really excited for me because he knows how much I'm going to enjoy it," Quek expressed at the time. "And I think that's what's really special about our relationship. We are solid, and I can't wait to share this with him. "He might even be a bit jealous, if I know Tom. He would love to be out there doing it – we're always the couple at a wedding who are the last off the dance floor." Regarding the performance of sensual dance numbers, Quek confessed: "I'm not sexy. I can't do the sexy eyes, the body language. So I think that will be a challenge to tap into that side of me. Article continues below "If if I try to do it, I'll have to try not to laugh. I was on BBC Breakfast and was trying to show Naga Munchetty my sexy face and he [Tom] texted me, saying, 'Almost.'".
Business Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Hong Leong Bank forms private banking alliance with Lombard Odier
[SINGAPORE] Bursa-listed Hong Leong Bank (HLB) – a subsidiary of Malaysian tycoon Quek Leng Chan's Hong Leong Financial Group (HLFG) – on Monday (May 26) announced it has formed a strategic alliance with Swiss private bank Lombard Odier. Quek is chairman of both HLFG and HLB, which are part of Malaysia's Hong Leong Group that he founded together with Kwek Hong Png – the father of City Developments chairman Kwek Leng Beng. Quek and Kwek Leng Beng are cousins. The Quek/Kwek family is one of the richest clans in Singapore and Malaysia. Geneva-headquartered Lombard Odier is a global wealth and asset manager with a nearly 230-year history. Jeffery Yap, managing director and head of regional wealth management at HLB, marks this as a 'pivotal moment' in private banking, particularly in significant markets such as Malaysia and Singapore. With the partnership welding Lombard Odier's global perspectives with HLB's knowledge of Asian markets, HLB also announces its enhanced HLB Private Bank services in the region. 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 This allows the bank to provide a 'sophisticated and deeply personalised client experience'. Clients will also be offered bespoke advisory services such as 'Red Carpet Advisory' and 'Discretionary Portfolio Management'. Kevin Lam, group managing director and CEO of HLB, said: 'Singapore, a pivotal wealth hub in a continent experiencing unprecedented growth in affluence, presents a unique opportunity.' Lam added that the alliance provides HLB with the opportunity to elevate its private bank offering in the region. 'Together, we are charting a course for enduring wealth, providing our discerning clients in Singapore and the region with access to world-class expertise,' Lam said. Besides Singapore and Malaysia, HLB also has operations in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Cambodia. The alliance comes with the wealth expansion seen in Asia-Pacific markets, and is one of the many that Lombard Odier has been establishing throughout Asia recently. The private Swiss bank's ecosystem of strategic alliances includes those with financial institutions in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines. With a significant influx of high net worth individuals (HNWI) and doubling private assets in the region, demand is evolving in the rapidly growing market. Hubert Keller, senior managing partner for Lombard Odier, said: 'We are increasingly seeing significant growth opportunities in the Asia domestic markets: a clear upward trajectory in the demand and appetite for tailored wealth management, and a need for banks to meet client demands in accessing global investment opportunities onshore.' Lombard Odier also sees that a defining feature of private banking in Asia will be a mix of both onshore and offshore services. This is in line with their strategy to collaborate with leading domestic financial institutions in the region. 'We believe in working with the right partners who share our vision of the future of wealth and asset management,' said Vincent Magnenat, Asia group regional head and global head of strategies alliances of Lombard Odier. 'In HLB, we see a strong alignment on all fronts,' he added.
