Two forklift drivers were charged in Singapore yesterday with accepting Sg$l (72 US cent) bribes and are facing fines of up to Sg$ 100,000 and jail time, highlighting the city-state’s tough anti-corruption stance.

The Chinese men are accused of accepting the small kickbacks from drivers on several occasions in exchange for not delaying the collection or return of containers onto their trucks, Singapore's graft-fighting agency said.

Chen Ziliang, 47, and Zhao Yucun, 43, are alleged to have committed the offences over several years at a shipping container depot in the affluent port city, which is a global trading hub.

“Bribes of any amount or any kind will not be tolerated," the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said in a statement.

Anyone found guilty of corruption faces a fine of up to Sg$ 100,000 ($72,000) and a maximum jail term of five years, the agency said.

Singapore, a thriving business hub and financial centre, has consistently ranked in surveys as among the least corrupt countries in the world.

Its government ministers are the world's best-paid politicians, with salaries starting at Sg$l.l million, in what authorities argue is partly a bid to deter corruption.