Mauritian National Linked to $128 Million Oil Heist at Pulau Bukom
SINGAPORE – Naushad Carrim Tengur, a Mauritian national and former surveyor, has been sentenced to two months in jail and ordered to pay a penalty exceeding $4,000 after accepting bribes amounting to over $4,000. His offence is linked to the $128 million oil heist at Shell Eastern Petroleum’s Pulau Bukom site.
Naushad, who worked for the company Inspectorate (Singapore), was convicted of accepting US$3,000 (S$4,142.10) in bribes to overlook unauthorised loading of gas oil onto marine vessels. He was found guilty following a trial in October 2024.
The oil heist involved a conspiracy to misappropriate fuel between 2014 and 2017, where a total of US$213,000 in bribes was exchanged. Naushad’s colleague at the time, Muhammad Khairul Asri Mohamed Hanafiah, was involved in the bribe arrangement and had previously pleaded guilty, serving four months’ jail.
The investigation revealed that the two surveyors were responsible for inspecting marine vessels at Shell’s Pulau Bukom site to ensure proper reporting of gas oil levels. Their role was crucial in preventing unauthorised excess loadings, which were being carried out by former Shell employees Juandi Pungot and Muzaffar Ali Khan Muhamad Akram.
The case highlights the ongoing corruption scandal, with several individuals involved in the operation to misappropriate oil. Juandi, who had admitted to misappropriating 203,403 tonnes of gas oil, was sentenced to 29 years’ jail, and Muzaffar received 26½ years’ jail. The remaining suspects, including Richard Goh Chee Keong, still face pending trials.
This conviction is part of the broader crackdown on corruption at the Shell site, where multiple individuals have been implicated in the theft of significant amounts of fuel.
