(Image source from: Fresh Press Journal)

A 57-year-old Indian-origin Singaporean woman is accused of being active in the sizable bribery case in the history of the United States Navy. According to a media report, the woman may face a jail term of more than three years.

Sharon Rachael Gursharan Kaur, a lead contract specialist for the U.S. Navy, was allegedly involved in the $35-million 'Fat Leonard' scandal, which resulted in the apprehension and conviction of several senior officers of the U.S. Navy, including a rear admiral, according to report.

On Thursday, the court detected that she received more than Singapore Dollar (SGD) 130,000 in bribes from the Malaysian chief executive of Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) Leonard Glenn Francis. GMDA is a subsidiary of Singapore-based Glenn Marine Group which supply goods and services for American ships in at least a dozen countries in Asia.

Francis, also known to several US Navy personnel as "Fat Leonard", had allegedly paid Kaur bribes between 2006 and 2011 as a reward for giving him information about the US Navy that was not available to the public. She would disclose procurement-sensitive data and price information of his firm's competitors. As a result, he was able to prepare more competitive bids to secure lucrative contracts with the US Navy.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke-Yue told the court that the information she leaked was connected to 16 U.S. Navy contracts. GDMA subjected bids for 14 of them and was granted 11 contracts worth some $48 million in whole.

According to paper, the prosecution made its submissions to the court and asked for Kaur to be handed over a jail term of at least three years and seven months.

The three counts corruption charges and one count of dealing with the benefits of her criminal activities were made against Kaur on June 30 earlier this year.

Currently, she is now out on bail bond of SGD 50,000 and is hoped-for to be sentenced on July 6.

Defense counsel Suresh Damodara told District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan that Kaur was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and went through total ablation in late 2016.

Damodara pleading for the enforcement of minimal sentences argued that captivity could "exacerbate" Kaur's medical condition and lead to a relapse, which would be life-threatening, the Singapore daily reported.

In January 2015, Francis had pleaded guilty to his offenses in the U.S.  and remains in detention there facing a maximum jail term of 25 years and has since agreed to forfeit $35 million in personal assets.

DPP Jiang said more than 10 US Navy officials have since pleaded guilty in the US to their roles in the scandal. They include US Navy commander Bobby Pitts, who was in charge of the Fleet Industrial Supply Command in Singapore, and retired Rear Admiral Robert Gilbeau. Both men were sentenced to one-and-a-half years' jail last year.

By Sowmya Sangam