A Singapore businessman accused of bribing three Lebanese football match officials with prostitutes "has been released on bail after he entered a not guilty plea in court on Tuesday," according to Kevin Lim of REUTERS. Businessman Eric Ding Si Yang, who once worked for the local New Paper tabloid as a football tipster, "will contest the three corruption charges that had been filed against him, his lawyer Thong Chee Kun told reporters." Bail was set at S$150,000 ($121,000) and Ding "will appear in court again on April 18" (REUTERS, 4/9). The Hong Kong STANDARD reported prosecutors told a court Ding was "part of an int'l syndicate rigging the sport." Singapore state prosecutors said, "There is evidence to suggest the involvement of international syndicates for the offenses committed by the accused." The prosecution said Ding was a "high flight risk" because he has homes in Singapore and Bangkok, where his Thai wife and their daughter live. The prosecution said, "The forfeiture of bail money in the event of an accused's abscondment is a calculated loss which the syndicate can easily recover through illegal soccer betting in merely a single game" (STANDARD, 4/9).
