SINGAPORE - Seven individuals were charged in court on Wednesday (July 29) for allegedly cheating company Kurihara Kogyo in two separate schemes worth almost $6.4 million in total.

The company's line of business includes engineering solutions and construction.

In one scheme that happened between 2016 and 2019, five men allegedly conspired to cheat Kurihara by inducing the company's general manager, Mr Seishi Nishiyama, into awarding various purchase orders for electrical maintenance works to OAS Electrical Contractors.

They are accused of dishonestly concealing the fact that the purchase orders, worth $709,200 in total, were actually subcontracted to another company, HSH International.

They also hid the fact that Kurihara senior manager Edward Soh Hock Chuan, 56, and HSH director Shen Jun, 53, had interests in HSH.

Soh, Shen and three other individuals - Chan Kit Hoe, 62, the sole proprietor of OAS; Ang Lian Seng, 74, a project manager at OAS; and Kurihara deputy manager Rayappan Antony Sagayaraj, 43 - each faces 40 cheating-related charges.

In the second scheme that took place in September 2017, two men are accused of dishonestly inducing Mr Nishiyama into awarding a subcontract for electrical works - worth almost $5.7 million - to OSES Partners.

Kurihara assistant general manager Ng Boon Hwa, 59, and OSES director Ng Boon Huat, 55, allegedly conspired to inform Mr Nishiyama that Kurihara's main contractor had nominated OSES for the subcontract. The main contractor had not done so.

They were each charged with one count of cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property by abetment. Court documents did not state if the two men are related.

Ng Boon Huat, Ng Boon Hwa, Rayappan, Soh and Shen are expected to be back in court on Aug 26. Ang and Chan are to return on Sept 2.

For cheating and dishonestly inducing a delivery of property, offenders can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.