The Straits Times newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, said T.T Durai, the former chief executive of the National Kidney Foundation, had his passport seized following a recent probe by the Commercial Affairs Department, the city-state's white-collar crime police unit.

The daily also quoted Durai's wife, who was not identified, as saying that her husband had submitted his travel documents to authorities two weeks ago.

Police would neither deny nor confirm the report. A police spokesman told AFP on Saturday it was "inappropriate to comment on ongoing investigations."

The Commercial Affairs Department probe came after the charity's 15-member board, including Durai, resigned en masse in July following a public scandal over how donor money was spent.

The scandal, which had dominated local headlines, emerged after Durai filed a defamation suit against the Straits Times, which reported that a gold-plated tap had been installed in the private bathroom of his office.

The case backfired spectacularly after Durai was forced in court to reveal his S$600,000 (US$350,000) annual salary and its associated perks, including first-class flights paid for by donors' funds and the upkeep of his Mercedes.

He also admitted the foundation had grossly misled the public over how long its reserves of $260 million would last if donors' money stopped pouring in, as well as how many patients it treated each year.

Durai's revelations sparked widespread anger as an estimated two thirds of Singaporeans have donated to the foundation, which employs an aggressive, commission-based marketing model and regularly holds television donation drives featuring celebrities.

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