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Hong Kong and Singapore, both known for their clean governments, had slaps on their faces over anti-corruption affairs.
The director of Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) will be replaced, following a recent scandal involving an assistant director charged with misappropriation of public funds, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Tuesday.
Eric Tan, who has been taking the helm at the bureau since 2010, will leave the agency on Sept. 30. Wong Hong Kuan, now chief executive of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, will take over as head of the anti-graft watchdog that has been known for its efficiency.
Wong, a former deputy commissioner of police, will join the CPIB as director-designate on Sept. 1 and take over from Oct. 1.
In July, Edwin Yeo Seow Hiong, an assistant director heading the bureau's field research and technical support unit, was charged with misappropriation of some 1.7 million Singapore dollars (1.34 million U.S. dollars) in public funds over a period of four years.
The Prime Minister's Office said Tan had been issued a formal letter of warning, and has accepted responsibility over the supervisory lapses that led to the incident. His predecessor Soh Kee Hean, who left the agency in 2010, was also warned.
Tan will be redeployed to other duties where his knowledge and experience will be valuable.
Hong Kong, the "long time competitor" of the "Lion City", is also under enbattlement for the misbehaviors of the territory'sformer graft-buster chief.
As the South China Morning Post reports, Hong Kong public's perception of how corruption-free the city is has fallen to a 15-year low, a University of Hong Kong (HKU) survey shows.
The corruption index compiled by HKU's public opinion program hit the lowest since it hit 6.35 points in 1998. The programme interviewed 1,027 Hongkongers from July 30 to August 1.
Director of the program Robert Chung Ting-yiu said the drop may have been a result of anti-graft body head Timothy Tong Hin-ming's spending scandal, as well as the "many conflict-of-interest cases among public office bearers" recently.
Tong was accused for taking advantage of his own power, treating the officials of the China Liaison Office with luxurious wines, exceeding the designated amount allowed for socializing expenditures.
Singapore has the world's fifth cleanest public sector among 176 countries and regions, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by Transparency International last year. Hong Kong came 14th on the same list.
