JLJ chairman steps down in light of Apple kickback scandal
updated 01:25 pm EDT, Fri August 20, 2010
Impact continues to spread
The executive chairman of JLJ Holdings, Chua Kim Guan, has temporarily stepped down from his duties in the wake of an Apple-related kickback scandal, reports say. Guan is the brother-in-law of Andrew Ang, a former worker at JLJ subsidiary Jin Li Mould, who was named in an Apple lawsuit against Paul Shin Devine, an Apple supply manager. Devine is accused -- by the US government, as well as Apple -- of taking bribes and kickbacks in exchange for giving suppliers access to private information.
Guan's removal from power is voluntary, according to a JLJ statement, and meant to "facilitate the impartial review of all activities" that could be connected to Apple's lawsuit. The man is not the only business leader to become a casualty of the scandal. Beyond Devine, who was arrested last week, executives at Kaedar Electronics have been suspended by parent company Pegatron.
Devine appeared in court on Monday, and pleaded not guilty to 23 charges. Despite also being indicted, Ang has yet to surface in public. JLJ notes that he actually left Jin Li Mould in 2009.
