Court in Brazil accepts corruption complaint against ex-Sembcorp Marine employee

A court in Brazil has accepted a money laundering and corruption complaint against a former Sembcorp Marine employee as part of the widespread Brazilian Car Wash probe.

As previously reported, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) in Brazil in February 2020 filed charges against Guilherme Esteves de Jesus (GDJ) for money laundering and Sembcorp Marine’s ex-employee Martin Cheah Kok Choon for money laundering and corruption in connection with certain drilling rig construction contracts entered into by subsidiaries of the company with Sete Brasil in 2012.

In an update on Thursday, Singapore’s offshore rig builder Sembcorp Marine said that the Federal Justice Court of Curitiba accepted the complaint offered by the Federal Public Ministry against Guilherme Esteves de Jesus and Martin Cheah Kok Choon.

Martin Cheah is the former President of Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz Ltda (EJA), the company’s Brazilian subsidiary whose employment was terminated in June 2015.

Companies connected to GDJ were engaged by the company’s subsidiaries as consultants, with all such consultancy contracts having been suspended, and remain suspended, by Sembcorp Marine indefinitely.

The charges filed against Martin Cheah and GDJ by the MPF are in their personal capacities and not against EJA.