Update on Investigation into Possible Misuse of Funds at Tiong Bahru Football Club

The following question stood in the name of Mr Ganesh Rajaram –

To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether he can provide an update on the arrests and subsequent investigation into the possible misuse of funds at National Football League club Tiong Bahru Football Club.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I have the pleasure of taking the first Parliamentary Question in the Year of the Dog. I would like to wish yourself, Sir, and all Members a very Happy New Year.

Police investigations into Tiong Bahru Football Club and various other entities associated with the case are ongoing. A large volume of records was seized. Such complex financial investigations take time. It is not appropriate for me to comment further on the case so as not to prejudice the investigation.

On behalf of Mr Ganesh Rajaram, if I may just ask a follow-up supplementary question of the Minister, please. I understand that we cannot ask for specific details of the investigations at this stage; it would be sub judice to do so. Could I just ask, given that the new S-League season is only a month away, can there be any clarification as to where the clubs stand on accountability and where they are going, partly because some of the members who are implicated are currently part of the S-League as a whole, and are they running clubs for the new season as well?

Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot say more about what will happen to the S-League clubs under investigation, but I can say that where the operations of the clubs are concerned, certainly, in terms of how they run the fruit machines, we have made progress. In fact, in the 2016 Committee of Supply debate, as far back as that, the Ministry of Home Affairs had announced that we were reviewing the regulations of fruit machines. In July 2017, we announced the outcome of the review, with new regulations to ensure that the fruit machines remain only an ancillary part of a club's broader suite of recreation and social offerings.

Since July 2017, these new regulations have been in place and have to be observed by clubs, including the football clubs. They include more stringent criteria for fruit machine permits and a reduction in the availability and accessibility of fruit machine offerings.

Insofar as the operations are concerned, there are more restrictions as well as stronger safeguards to protect individuals from the potential harms of fruit machine gaming. We have gone ahead with those measures even though investigations are still ongoing.