
Audio By Carbonatix
Two Lebanese match officials have been sentenced by a court in Singapore, with another to be sentenced on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to accepting sex bribes from a crime syndicate thought to have been responsible for large-scale match-fixing.The officials accepted the bribes from prostitutes who were arranged for them by Eric Ding Si Yang, a Singaporean businessman, in exchange for fixing an Asian Football Confederation Cup match in April.Ali Eid, 33 and Abdallah Taleb, 37, both assistant referees, along with 34-year-old referee Ali Sabbagh, have since been detained in Changi Prison and denied bail.Judge Low Wee Ping said: "The fact that you are international officials, in my view, is already an aggravating factor.''But he said the fact that Eid and Taleb had pleaded guilty was a "strong mitigating factor''. Their good behaviour and the time they had already served in prison meant they could be released this week, he added.However, he said that more time would be needed to consider the sentence imposed on Sabbagh because the referee had had direct contact with businessman Ding, whom he met in Beirut. Ding was bailed after being charged with corruption in May.The case is the latest in a series linked with football corruption fuelled by illicit gambling syndicates.Last year, authorities in Singapore charged a referee and a former Malaysia international with conspiring to fix a Malaysian Super League match.And Wilson Raj Perumal, a Singapore national with ties to gambling syndicates in both Europe and Asia, was sentenced to prison in Finland for match-fixing.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Stonebwoy, Fameye, DopeNation and Akwaboah to headline Ghana for Gold concert in Scotland on August 1
14 minutes -
NPP Ashanti Region clears 34 aspirants ahead of August 16 regional executive elections
37 minutes -
GMet forecasts thunderstorms in northern Ghana as mist and fog affect southern areas
39 minutes -
Three remanded over alleged lynching of man at Sabon Zongo in Kumasi
42 minutes -
NACOC warns global drug traffickers are using cyberspace to expand synthetic drug operations
52 minutes -
When everyone knows but no one speaks: The silence that sustains Academic Bullying
1 hour -
Photos : Mahama signs new GIPA Act into law to boost Ghana’s investment drive
1 hour -
Daily Insight for CEOs: Ecosystem leadership in a connected economy
1 hour -
Today’s front pages: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
1 hour -
World Gold Council commits US$250,000 grant to support Ghana’s responsible small-scale mining programme
1 hour -
Police arrest two at Asawase Market over suspected narcotic drugs concealed in fertiliser sacks
1 hour -
Accra to host Pan-African conference on economic restructuring, political reforms
1 hour -
When Chairman Wontumi’s 20-year sentence marks a turning point in the fight against political impunity
2 hours -
ADRA Ghana donates relief items, calls for sustainable recovery support for June 29 flood victims
2 hours -
GRA Customs explains how imported vehicles are classified and valued for duty assessment
2 hours