Benedict Ong is calling on a fellow city councillor who questioned his credentials to apologise as evidence of his international banking career emerges.<\/p>\n
The newly-elected Dunedin city councillor said on the campaign trail that he previously held vice-president and associate director roles at numerous global banks based in Singapore.<\/p>\n
He said he would use his “financial expertise and global capital network for real economic growth for Dunedin” and no rates rises.<\/p>\n
But since the election, Cr Lee Vandervis has been openly sceptical, stating it was “not possible” Mr Ong had held such roles.<\/p>\n
Mr Ong said he had held roles at Rabobank International, Royal Bank of Canada, Bank Sarasin-Rabo Asia and United Overseas Bank, in Singapore.<\/p>\n
A Rabobank spokesperson yesterday confirmed to the\u00a0Otago Daily Times\u00a0it had previously employed Mr Ong.<\/p>\n
“Our records show that Benedict Ong was employed by Rabobank Singapore in the mergers and acquisitions team from 2007 to 2010.”<\/p>\n
Mr Ong said Cr Vandervis had made “slanderous and false statements” against him.<\/p>\n
“An apology would be the principled thing to do,” he said yesterday.<\/p>\n
“I understand Cr Lee may have a history of being unsuccessfully litigious, and I also believe I have a better understanding than Cr Lee of when one is in the right side of legal recourse [sic].”<\/p>\n
Cr Vandervis last week told The Platform he “did some investigation” into Mr Ong\u2019s credentials, but could not find any independent sources on Google or through AI-powered search engine Perplexity.<\/p>\n
“So it\u2019s not possible that he\u2019s held these positions that he claims.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s not possible that he\u2019s had the work experience that he claims, and yet, somehow, he seems to have got himself elected.”<\/p>\n
Cr Vandervis yesterday said he had “no regrets” about saying publicly the claims made by Mr Ong “were not possibly true”.<\/p>\n
He asked to see the\u00a0ODT\u2019s source, as Mr Ong\u2019s “supposedly high-profile vice-president position” had had no profile at all in the “extensive searches” he had carried out with both Google and Perplexity AI.<\/p>\n
Cr Vandervis did not respond after being forwarded the statement from Rabobank.<\/p>\n
He looked forward to Mr Ong\u2019s “secret formula” to address debt becoming not secret, Cr Vandervis said.<\/p>\n
“And if his formula can sort out Dunedin\u2019s [DCC and DCC Companies] budgeted $2 billion debt, I will most sincerely apologise to Mr Ong for doubting his claim.”<\/p>\n
Mr Ong\u2019s online presence is largely limited to social media posts.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0ODT\u00a0has sent requests for confirmation to all of Mr Ong\u2019s listed places of former employment.<\/p>\n
Mr Ong previously posted to social media a signed statutory declaration detailing his banking career, as well as a document with a letterhead for the Royal Bank of Canada, which appeared to show he had held an associate director role for the bank.<\/p>\n
“There will be the few that won\u2019t be pleased no matter what was already presented,” Mr Ong said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
“I am focused on preparing to serve and to serve.”<\/p>\n