Jail for man who deceived contractor over fire safety certification, Latest Singapore News

On September 30, a man was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison after he deceived the contractors of several buildings that the siding he sold to them was fire rated.

Facade cladding is used to cover the outside of buildings. In this case it was aluminum composite panels (ACPs).

Benny Phua Chia Ping was convicted of defrauding three companies – HB Glass and Aluminum, Mantec Holdings and Nam Lee Pressed Metals – to which he sold the cladding.

His crimes came to light after his then-employer, Chip Soon Aluminum, was found to be linked to a structure fire on Toh Guan Road in 2017 that left a woman dead.

The three companies were not involved in the fire, but the prosecution told the court in earlier proceedings: “(The fatal incident) triggered a series of investigations by the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF). “The supplier of the ACPs installed there – Chip Soon Aluminum.”

Phua, 45, was a manager at Chip Soon at the time of the crime and was convicted of five fraud charges after a trial by District Judge Christopher Goh.

Deputy prosecutors Jiang Ke Yue and Alexandria Shamini Joseph said in court documents that ACP is a popular material for cladding exterior walls.

It is also a fire protection product regulated by the SCDF under the Product Listing Scheme to ensure safety, reliability and performance standards.

Under the Product Listing Scheme, an ACP supplier must obtain a Fire Safety Conformity Certificate (COC) from a company called TÜV SÜD PSB before they can supply ACPs for use as cladding.

Prosecutors said the SCDF’s investigation into the fatal building fire indicates that the ACPs installed on the exterior helped the fire spread more quickly across the building’s facade.

Chip Soon was then identified as the supplier of the panels.

The SCDF conducted an investigation because it was concerned that other buildings where Chip Soon’s ACPs were used could also pose a fire hazard. Meanwhile, the police also investigated the company’s business.

The DPPs said a police investigation revealed that Phua was directly involved in the sale of ACPs to HB Glass and Aluminum, Mantec Holdings and Nam Lee Pressed Metals between April 24 and June 20, 2013.

HB Glass and Aluminum used Chip Soon’s panels for the west wing of Temasek Polytechnic at Tampines Avenue 1.

Mantec Holdings used Chip Soon’s panels for the VDL building on Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim, while Nam Lee Pressed Metals used the panels in two three-story ventilation buildings on Marina Coastal Expressway.

The prosecution said: “SPF’s investigations revealed that at the time of ordering the ACPs, Chip Soon did not have the required fire safety certification for the panels supplied.

“In fact, the fire safety certification was terminated on April 5, 2013 because it failed two fire safety tests.”

According to court documents, the SCDF also collected samples of the ACPs installed on the exterior of each affected building. Investigations revealed that the panels did not meet fire safety requirements.

Phua was represented by lawyer Favian Kang and, according to his defense, was unaware that a valid COC was required for the sale to take place under the Product Listing Scheme.

A charge of rash act is still pending against Phua. The preliminary hearing for this case will take place on October 24th.