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Former Sembcorp Marine CEO Wong Weng Sun acquitted of charges in Brazil corruption case

The acquittal came after prosecutors decided to issue Wong a stern warning in lieu of prosecution. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Straits TimesThe Straits Times2026-09-24 19:50查看原文 ↗

The State Courts granted Wong Weng Sun a discharge amounting to an acquittal on Sep 24, following an application by the prosecution.

PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE

Published Sep 24, 2026, 07:50 PM

Updated Sep 24, 2026, 10:51 PM

Former Sembcorp Marine CEO Wong Weng Sun and senior manager Lee Fook Kang were acquitted of all corruption charges related to the company's Brazil business after prosecutors issued stern warnings instead of pursuing prosecution.

The charges stemmed from alleged bribery linked to Operation Car Wash in Brazil, involving payments to officials and attempts to remove incriminating emails, but evidence led to case dismissal.

Separately, Seatrium, formerly Sembcorp Marine, agreed to a deferred prosecution deal, paying US$110 million and enhancing compliance, while Wong expressed relief and gratitude after a stressful legal ordeal.

SINGAPORE – Former Sembcorp Marine president and chief executive officer Wong Weng Sun and former Jurong Shipyard senior general manager Lee Fook Kang have been acquitted of all charges against them over alleged corruption linked to Sembcorp Marine’s Brazil business, said the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

The acquittals came after prosecutors decided to issue both men stern warnings in lieu of prosecution, following a review that took into account the dismissal of related criminal proceedings in Brazil against Guilherme Esteves de Jesus, the Brazilian agent at the centre of the alleged bribery arrangements.

The State Courts granted both men discharges amounting to acquittals on Sept 24, following applications by the prosecution.

The stern warnings covering all charges against Wong and Lee had been administered by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) on Sept 21.

Why prosecutors dropped the case

An AGC spokesperson said prosecutors reached the decision after considering the facts and circumstances of the matter, including the dismissal of the criminal proceedings against Esteves.

Wong had faced five charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and one charge of intentionally obstructing the course of justice under the Penal Code since March 2024. Lee faced five corruption charges arising from the same case.

“To the best of his knowledge, there are no further court proceedings pending against Mr Wong,” said WongPartnership, the law firm representing Wong, on Sept 24.

The firm added that Wong, who spent more than 30 years with Sembcorp Marine and rose from project engineer to president and CEO, had consistently denied involvement in any criminal wrongdoing.

The charges arose from investigations by CPIB into alleged corruption linked to Sembcorp Marine’s Brazil business and the sprawling Operation Car Wash probe .

The agency began investigating Sembcorp Marine – now known as Seatrium – and individuals from the company in May 2023. Wong and Lee were charged in March 2024.

At the time, Wong was accused of conspiring with Lee to corruptly give gratification to Esteves, then an agent in Brazil, for the benefit of various people in Brazil and to advance the business interests of the company’s subsidiaries there.

The five charges involved alleged payments made or agreed upon between 2009 and 2014, including payments intended for Brazilian officials, politicians and officers of state-controlled oil company Petrobras.

Wong was also accused of instructing two employees in 2014 to remove an e-mail from Esteves containing evidence of bribes that he had given or would be giving to others.

When Wong and Lee were charged, the AGC said it had considered the available evidence and assessed that there was sufficient evidence to mount a prosecution.

Separate action against Seatrium

The criminal proceedings against Wong and Lee were separate from the action taken against Seatrium itself over the Brazil matter.

Seatrium entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the public prosecutor in July 2025 over corruption offences that occurred in Brazil.

Under the agreement, the company is required to pay a US$110 million (S$140.7 million) financial penalty and make further improvements to its ethics and compliance programme.

The High Court approved the agreement in April . Up to US$53 million of payments made by Seatrium to the Brazilian authorities can be credited against the penalty, leaving US$57 million payable to the Singapore authorities.

The case has its roots in Operation Car Wash, the wide-ranging Brazilian investigation into corruption involving Petrobras, contractors and political figures.

Sembcorp Marine combined with Keppel Offshore & Marine in 2023, with the enlarged company subsequently renamed Seatrium.

Wong thanked his family and friends for their support throughout what his lawyers described as an “incredibly stressful period”, as well as his legal team comprising Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng, Paul Loy, Samuel Navindran and Calvin Ong of WongPartnership.

He “looks forward to moving on and putting this episode behind him”, the firm said. THE BUSINESS TIMES

9月24日，国家法院应控方申请，准予黄荣顺无罪释放。

照片：联合早报档案

发布于2026年9月24日晚上7:50

更新于2026年9月24日晚上10:51

前胜科海事首席执行官黄永顺和高级经理李福康被控与该公司在巴西的业务有关的所有腐败指控，但检察官发出严厉警告，并未继续追究其责任，最终两人被判无罪。

这些指控源于与巴西“洗车行动”有关的涉嫌贿赂行为，包括向官员行贿和试图删除罪证电子邮件，但证据导致案件被驳回。

另外，前身为胜科海事的Seatrium同意暂缓起诉协议，支付1.1亿美元并加强合规，而黄先生在经历了紧张的法律磨难后表示如释重负和感激之情。

新加坡——总检察署表示，胜科海事前总裁兼首席执行官黄永顺和裕廊船厂前高级总经理李福康，因涉嫌与胜科海事巴西业务有关的腐败指控，已被判无罪。

在检察官经过审查后，考虑到巴西方面驳回了针对吉列尔梅·埃斯特维斯·德·热苏斯（Guilherme Esteves de Jesus）的相关刑事诉讼（吉列尔梅·埃斯特维斯·德·热苏斯是涉嫌贿赂安排的核心人物），决定对两人发出严厉警告而不是提起诉讼，随后两人被无罪释放。

9月24日，州法院在检方提出申请后，对两名男子予以无罪释放。

9月21日，贪污调查局（CPIB）对黄和李发出严厉警告，涵盖所有指控。