SINGAPORE – Two Singapore citizens admitted in court on August 25 to illegally selling underwater sonar system to the Myanmar Navy.
The Singapore law prohibits the export of strategic goods including weapons. Poiter Agus Kentjana, a 57-year-old sales manager at Hydronav Services and Wui Ong Chuan, one of the directors at the firm, pleaded guilty to the violation of law. They have been charged to one count of cheating and one charge under the Strategic Goods (Control) Act.
The sonar system was sold to Light of Universe, an entity under the Myanmar Navy for 1.58 million USD (two million SGD).
However, the two admitted the conspiracy of cheating the seller Norway firm Kongsberg Maritime, from which they bought the system for 759,931 USD, into believing that the end-user would be Indonesia’s Bina Nusantara Perkasa.
The sonar system can be used for both military and civilian purposes but it is said to be unclear for which purpose the Myanmar Navy is using the system.
It is said that prosecutors have asked the court to fine Hydronav one million USD in addition to the amount of profit from the sale and to impose a fine between 25,000 and 30,000 SGD on Poiter and a fine between 30,000 and 35,000 SGD on Wui Ong Chuan.