T. T. Durai

Singaporean businessman convicted of fraud

Thambirajah Tharmadurai (born 22 April 1948), better known as T. T. Durai, is a Singaporean who formerly served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the non profit health organisation National Kidney Foundation Singapore (NKF). The central figure in the 2005 National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, he was convicted for fraud, paying $25,000 in total for services not rendered, and sentenced to a three month jail term.

On 19 April 2004, The Straits Times published an editorial "NKF: Controversially ahead of its time?" written by senior correspondent Susan Long. This article led to Durai and NKF challenging the first six lines of the article, which claimed that a retired contractor (who declined to and cannot be named, for fear of being sued) had 'lost it' when he was asked to install "a glass panelled shower, a pricey German toilet bowl and a (S$1,000) gold plated tap" in Durai's office. NKF and Durai later served a writ on Long and SPH for defamation, demanding S$3.24 million in damages. At the end of the second day of the trial, the case was dropped by Durai. On 14 July 2005, after a meeting with Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Durai and the entire NKF board resigned. The new board eventually filed a civil lawsuit against Durai, Durai's business associates and three former board members to recover monies amounting to S$12 million in salaries, benefits and failed contracts. The suit included legal fees incurred during the NKF defamation suit against SPH and loss of donations from donors after the scandal. and on the second day of the trial, Durai conceded to all the claims made by NKF. The suit eventually ended on 13 February 2007. The suit was settled with Durai repaying NKF $4.05 million, in a lump sum payment and instalments. Through a gift of S$1 million by Charles Letts, a former Jardine Mattheson & Co director, Durai selling his house, and other loans from family and friends, Durai avoided bankruptcy. By July 2011, Durai finished his repayments to NKF.

After Durai and the NKF board resigned, the new NKF board appointed audit firm KPMG to audit NKF's transactions when it was managed by Durai. KPMG later released an audit report in December 2005. Based on the report, the Commercial Affairs Department and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau investigated NKF’s malpractices. On 19 April 2006, Durai was charged for intention to deceive NKF when he approved payments, totaled $25,000, to two companies for services not rendered. Durai was jailed on 10 June 2008. After serving two thirds of the sentence, he was released on 11 August. Durai was charged on 27 June 2008 for a $5,000 invoice to a recruitment company for finding candidates for a senior management position in NKF. Investigations shown that service was also not rendered but the charge was subsequently dropped.

It was reported that Durai spent much of his time reading at home and spending time with his wife, two sons and daughter. Before the KPMG report was out, his daughter wrote a passionate letter to the news media, pleading for the public to restore honour to her father. Durai had refrained from reading newspapers and watching television after the controversy. Durai said that he was prepared for the worst, referring to any legal charges that would be laid on him. On 16 July 2007, Durai was admitted to National University Hospital after contracting dengue fever. His condition was reportedly stable.