Foreign talent's contributions to Singapore

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Jail for man linked to $6m purchase of 3 houses; Chinese national bankrolled deals, say DPPs​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

MAR 05, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Singaporean man was involved in the purchase of three houses in East Coast Road worth more than $6 million in total, with a Chinese national providing the money for their purchase, a district court heard.
None of the three landed properties was a “non-restricted residential property” so foreigners are normally not entitled to buy them.
On March 5, Tan Hui Meng, 57, was sentenced to jail for two years, three months and three weeks. The undischarged bankrupt and shareholder of a local firm, Hwampoa, was also fined $3,000.
After a trial, District Judge Jasvender Kaur convicted him of eight charges in January, including three under the Residential Property Act.
According to court documents, Chinese national Zhan Guotuan, 59, had paid for the three properties – identified in court documents as J1, P1 and M1. The Singapore permanent resident’s case is pending.
The prosecution told the court the plan was for Zhan to buy all the houses along a certain row in East Coast Road and redevelop them into a condominium.
They added that Tan was Zhan’s associate in the latter’s property redevelopment business.

According to Tan, the estimated profit from the land redevelopment in East Coast Road was over $50 million, and he was to get 20 per cent of the profits from two of Zhan’s firms, court documents said.
In their closing submissions, deputy public prosecutors Suhas Malhotra and Louis Ngia said Zhan was a wealthy businessman who had shares in about 100 organisations in China.
He also had businesses in the steel industry in Indonesia, Laos and Thailand. At the time of the offences, his annual income was around $7 million.

Zhan became a Singapore permanent resident around 2003 or 2004 through the Economic Development Board’s global investor programme, under which he and his two brothers committed around $1.5 million as investment in Singapore, the court heard.
The DPPs told Judge Kaur: “(Zhan) was in the business of property development in Singapore. The business plan was simple: (Zhan), through his companies, would buy landed properties in Singapore, demolish the houses, develop small-scale condominiums on the land and sell the units.”
They added that P1 was worth $2.3 million and Tan paid a 10 per cent deposit of $230,000 for it on Jan 30, 2007.
The court heard that the money for the deposit was from a cheque for $170,000 issued by one of Zhan’s firms, Alphaland International.

A cashier’s order for $800,000 was also delivered to the seller’s law firm, with the money coming from one of Zhan’s companies, Xin An Technology Group.
A housing loan of nearly $1.3 million for P1 was taken in Tan’s name from a bank, said the DPPs, adding that the property was transferred to him in May 2007.
According to court documents, J1 was bought for $1.55 million in the name of Guan Aimei, the wife of one of Alphaland’s employees.
The DPPs told Judge Kaur that Guan had followed Tan’s instructions and signed the necessary purchase documents, including one involving a mortgage loan from a bank.
J1’s legal title was transferred to her on July 2, 2007.
The prosecutors said that Tan, Guan’s husband and another manager of one of Zhan’s firms agreed to set up Hwampoa for the purpose of holding the East Coast Road properties.
Tan incorporated the company on July 23, 2007, with a paid-up share capital of two $1 shares, each owned by him and Guan, court documents stated.
M1 was sold to Hwampoa for $2.4 million on Jan 9, 2008.
The prosecutors told the court: “The money to buy M1 was largely paid from bank loans, all of which were later redeemed using Alphaland’s monies.”
The DPPs said these houses were then “sold” to Zhan’s son and nephew, with Tan arranging the transactions. Court documents did not give the nationality of Zhan’s son and nephew.
However, the prosecution said Zhan had paid for the houses and they were “returned” to him.
Guan was fined $5,000 earlier.
In their sentencing submissions, DPPs Ngia and Foo Shi Hao urged the court to sentence Tan to a fine and up to four years and six months’ jail.
Stressing that Tan had repeatedly infringed Singapore’s land policy, they added: “His aim was to eventually buy up all seven properties along East Coast Road on behalf of (Zhan) for redevelopment into a condominium.”
Tan will be appealing against his conviction and sentence. His bail was set at $60,000 on March 5.

 

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Jail for man with HIV who lied about past sexual activity before donating blood​

Nadine Chua

MAR 21, 2024

SINGAPORE - A man who donated blood at a Health Sciences Authority (HSA) blood donation drive lied that he never had sex with another man.
His blood test results later returned positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
On March 21, the 39-year-old Filipino pleaded guilty to one charge of providing false information in relation to donating blood under the Infectious Diseases Act. He was sentenced to three months’ jail.
Ministry of Health (MOH) prosecutor Tan Jun Ya said that on Jan 12, 2018, the man went to a church along Alexandra Road to donate blood. It was his 11th time donating blood.
Before the donation, he was required to complete a donor health assessment questionnaire and declaration form.
One of the questions on the form asked if he had ever engaged in sexual activity with another male. Another question was if, in the last 12 months, he had engaged in sexual activity with anyone he has known for less than six months.
The man answered no to both questions and declared that all his answers were true, said the MOH prosecutor.

He was also told that there was a 24-hour hotline that he could call on a confidential basis if he felt his blood should not be given to any patient, but he did not call the hotline.
On Jan 25, 2018, when he was interviewed by a doctor from the HSA Blood Services Group, he maintained that he “did not have any risk factors as he never had a sexual intercourse partner”.
On Feb 20, he was interviewed again by a public health officer from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
The MOH prosecutor said it was then that the man admitted that he was “forced” to engage in oral sex with a male masseur in Johor Bahru in November 2017.
In mitigation, defence lawyer Ashwin Ganapathy said that while he is cognisant his client’s conduct could have resulted in serious harm to public health and safety, there was no evidence of such harm materialising.
Mr Ganapathy said his client was working in Singapore at the time and learnt that there was a shortfall of blood supply at blood banks and wanted to help.
“Our client’s motivation in donating blood is simply that he wished to play his part in society. This was done purely out of his own goodwill to contribute and give back,” said the lawyer.
Blood donors who are found to have provided false or misleading information in relation to donating blood can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $20,000, or both.

 

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Woman who lied to police that her mobile phone was snatched gets 5 days’ jail​

Lee Yi-Ching’s lies caused the police to activate 15 fast response cars to conduct a manhunt that lasted nearly two hours. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

MAR 21, 2024

SINGAPORE – A woman lied to the police that a man she did not know had snatched her mobile phone in Geylang when, in fact, her boyfriend was in possession of the device at the time.
The prosecution said that she dropped the device when they quarrelled, and she was aware that her boyfriend had picked it up.
Thirty-six-year-old Lee Yi-Ching’s lies caused the police to activate 15 fast response cars to conduct a manhunt that lasted nearly two hours.
Police officers were also tasked to review footage from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras around Lorong 32 Geylang.
The truth emerged when the police interviewed the Taiwanese woman’s boyfriend who said that he had taken the mobile phone and had intended to return it to her.
Lee finally admitted to her lies on Aug 25, 2023.
Deputy Public Prosecutor John Lu told the court: “The accused confessed that she had quarrelled with her boyfriend the previous day and he wanted to return the mobile phone to her, but she was upset with him.

“The accused also clarified that her boyfriend did not snatch or steal the mobile phone from her.”
On March 21, Lee pleaded guilty to giving false information to a public servant and was sentenced to five days’ jail.
Her boyfriend told investigators during an interview that he was with her at a pub in Sembawang on Aug 24, 2023.

The couple left at around 9pm and he drove her home in a van. For reasons not disclosed in court documents, Lee, who had consumed alcohol, screamed at the man before she alighted.
The man also got out of the vehicle and was walking her home when she dropped her mobile phone.
He picked it up but Lee refused to take back the device. Instead, she screamed at him when he tried to return it to her.
Her boyfriend left the premises with the mobile phone and decided to hand it to her the next day.

Shortly after 10pm, Lee went to Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre and told a police officer that an unknown man had snatched her mobile phone while she was on her way home in Lorong 32 Geylang.
During the investigation, officers viewed CCTV footage showing her getting out of a van with a man before she got into an argument with him.
Police officers interviewed the boyfriend at around 3.15am, and he revealed that he had kept the mobile phone after Lee refused to take it back from him.
On March 21, the DPP urged the court to sentence Lee to up to a week in jail.
Stressing that her lies had resulted in a complete and significant waste of public resources, he added: “The accused maintained the false narrative for 16 hours and 42 minutes which resulted in the accused’s boyfriend having to be inconvenienced by the surprise and unpleasantness of the police investigations.”
For giving false information to a public servant, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined.

 

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Man accused of molesting woman during S’pore Grand Prix gets discharge amounting to acquittal​

Briton George Ernest Hyde had been accused of molesting the woman at or along Connaught Drive at around 10.30pm on Sept 16, 2023. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

APR 03, 2024

SINGAPORE – A man accused of molesting a 20-year-old woman during the Singapore Grand Prix in 2023 was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal on April 1.
This means that Briton George Ernest Hyde, 37, cannot be charged again with the same offence.
This came after the matter was compounded, a process that requires an agreement with the victim to have the matter compensated, usually with payment or an apology.
Before agreeing to the terms, the public prosecutor will also need to consider public interest, the circumstances of the offence and whether there are any aggravating factors.
Under the law, only certain offences can be compounded, such as causing hurt and outrage of modesty.
Without revealing details about the terms of the composition, the Attorney-General’s Chambers told The Straits Times: “Having reviewed the facts and circumstances of the case, as well as with the complainant’s agreement, the prosecution acceded to the accused’s request to have the matter compounded.
“After the composition was effected, the court granted the accused a discharge amounting to an acquittal on April 1.”

Mr Hyde had been accused of molesting the woman at or along Connaught Drive at around 10.30pm, on Sept 16, 2023.
For molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments.
Mr Hyde and Irishman Alan Michael Donoghue, 37, were first hauled to court in November 2023.

Donoghue was sentenced to six months and five weeks’ jail on Feb 23 after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of assault.
He was with Mr Hyde and two other companions at the Padang to watch the F1 race and concerts on Sept 16, 2023.
They left the Padang at around 10.30pm and started walking along Connaught Drive.

A 25-year-old man and his three companions were walking in the opposite direction at around the same time. Believing he saw Mr Hyde touching one of his companions, the man immediately confronted the Briton.
Upon seeing the confrontation, Donoghue went up to the 25-year-old man and began gesticulating aggressively at him. Donoghue then pushed the man to the ground and punched his face multiple times.
In an unrelated case, the Irishman was at East Coast Park on June 24, 2023, for a friend’s wedding party, during which he drank alcohol. He left the event after midnight and went to a nearby drop-off point to take a Grab ride home, but got into the wrong car.
Donoghue assaulted the 32-year-old driver before raining blows on a 38-year-old man who tried to intervene.
Donoghue, who was then a global team leader in a company in Singapore, was arrested at the scene soon after.

 

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Jail for man involved with transnational syndicate linked to scams, evaded arrest​

Andrew Wong

APR 05, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Malaysian national who acted as a runner in Singapore for a transnational syndicate was sentenced to 10 months’ jail, after he had initially evaded arrest.
On April 5, Wong Jia Hao, 24, pleaded guilty to helping to retain the benefits of a criminal conduct for someone else.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Thaddeus Tan said at the time of the offence, Wong was employed as a bartender at V Sing Bistro in Johor Bahru.
While working at the karaoke bar, Wong was recruited by his boss, who was not named in court, to collect and transport cash withdrawn from ATMs in Singapore.
Court documents did not say where Wong was transporting the money to.
The court heard that the arrangement started in August 2023 and Wong was paid between RM200 (S$57) and RM400 for each ATM run.
DPP Tan said Wong saw this as an opportunity to make fast money to repay some of his loans. In all, he had helped his boss to make around three to four ATM runs.

On Sept 28, 2023, Wong was instructed by his boss to enter Singapore with another man, Muhamad Azizi Azroy Abd Manan.
The pair entered Singapore in Azroy’s vehicle and drove to Parkway Parade where they met Javier Tan Kai Kiat, Un Jia Zhen, and Tiew Hao Ping.
Wong was instructed by his boss to go with Tiew to the ATM to withdraw $13,000. DPP Tan said the money was traced to a malware phishing victim.

While at the ATM, it was discovered that $8,000 was missing from the account.
Wong reported it to his boss, who then instructed him to withdraw $4,400 instead and go to Bendemeer Ville, an HDB estate near Boon Keng, along with the Tiew and pass the money to another person named Vo Thi Monh Tam.
Court documents did not reveal the connection between the individuals named in the case.
DPP Tan said the $4,400 was later converted into cryptocurrencies.
Shortly after, the police arrived at Bendemeer Ville after Tiew’s friend made a police report at about 5.40pm. The court heard that Tiew had told his friend that he was being forced into a Malaysian car.

Javier, Un, Tiew, Vo and Azroy were arrested at the block. Court documents did not reveal if Javier, Un, Tiew and Vo were charged.
The prosecution said Azroy, who faced identical charges as Wong, was sentenced to 10 months’ jail on Feb 8, 2024.
Wong, who had gone to smoke alone behind the block, managed to evade arrest. He reported the incident to his boss, who instructed him to return to Malaysia.
The prosecution did not say how Wong managed to return to Malaysia.
On Oct 31, 2023, Wong’s boss instructed him to enter Singapore again to make another ATM run, but he was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint.
DPP Tan, who sought a jail term of between 10 and 12 months, said there was a high level of sophistication in the offence given multiple syndicate members with specific roles.
He added that there were efforts made to mask the syndicate’s operations, which was evident in the exchange of the illegal proceeds from cash into cryptocurrencies, making the origin untraceable.
DPP Tan added that offenders in this case were not run-of-the-mill money mules, saying the syndicate operated overseas and recruited money mules to exploit Singapore’s financial systems.
On Feb 18, The Straits Times reported that malware scams were among the top 10 scams of concern in 2023, with 1,899 such cases reported and $34.1 million lost.
Between January and June 2023, more than 4,700 people were arrested or investigated for being money mules.

 

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Man jailed for cheating more than 10 victims of over $156k in luxury-watch scam​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

APR 17, 2024

SINGAPORE – A scammer who needed money after losing heavily on online gambling hatched a plan to cheat people by pretending to sell luxury watches online.
Foo Jun Kang, 29, cheated more than 10 victims of over $156,000 in total after duping them into believing he had watches for sale.
On April 17, the Malaysian was sentenced to jail for two years and two months after he pleaded guilty to two counts of cheating involving more than $91,000. He has not made restitution to the two victims in these cases.
Four other changes were considered during sentencing.
In June 2023, Foo listed several luxury watches purportedly for sale on an online marketplace platform called Little Red Book.
Later that month, a 29-year-old man contacted him through the portal as he wanted to buy some watches.
Between June 29 and July 11, Foo offered him three Rolex timepieces worth more than $44,000 in total.

The victim, who was told that he would receive them by July 14, transferred the amount to Foo.
On Aug 19, the victim lodged a police report after he failed to receive his orders and Foo refused to refund the money.
By using a similar method, Foo cheated a 30-year-old woman of nearly $47,000 that year. She made a police report on Aug 24.
For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

 

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$45k fine for foreigner who bankrolled deals linked to purchase of 3 houses worth millions​

Zhan Guotuan had provided the money to buy three landed properties in East Coast Road worth more than $6 million in total. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

APR 18, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Chinese national was fined $45,000 on April 18 for breaching a law under the Residential Property Act (RPA) that had been rolled out to prevent foreigners from speculating in local residential properties.
This could lead to a rise in home prices and adversely affect the interests of Singaporeans.
Zhan Guotuan, 59, a Singapore permanent resident at the time of the offences, had provided the money to buy three landed properties in East Coast Road worth more than $6 million in total.
In earlier proceedings, the court heard that none of the three houses were “non-restricted residential properties”. Therefore, foreigners were normally not entitled to buy them.
In 2007, Zhan was a shareholder of two companies – Alphaland International and Xin An Technology Group – that were in the business of property development in Singapore.
The business plan was to buy landed properties here, demolish those houses, develop condominiums on the land and sell the condominium units for profit.
On April 16, he pleaded guilty to an offence under the RPA linked to one of the houses identified in court documents as Z.

Three other charges, including two under the same Act involving the other properties, were considered during sentencing. These two houses were identified in court documents as X and Y.
The prosecution had told the court on April 16 that the “prime mover” in this case was Zhan’s trusted business associate, Tan Hui Meng, a Singaporean.
After a trial, Tan, 57, was sentenced to jail for two years, three months and three weeks in March. He was also fined $3,000.


Deputy public prosecutors Foo Shi Hao and Louis Ngia had stated in court documents: “(Tan) was the one who had conceived of the East Coast plan to purchase seven landed properties for redevelopment, and to buy (the three houses) in trust.
“(Tan) was also the one who had made the arrangements for the purchases. (Zhan’s) offending conduct was in authorising (the acquisitions)... when the plan had already been conceived.”
According to Tan, the estimated profit from the land redevelopment in East Coast Road was over $50 million, and he was to get 20 per cent of the profits from two of Zhan’s companies.
Zhan was overseas some time in or around early 2007 when Tan entered into a plan to pursue Zhan’s property development business in East Coast Road on the Chinese national’s behalf.
X and Y were then bought with Zhan’s money.

In earlier proceedings, the court heard that one of the houses was transferred to Tan in May 2007.
According to court documents, the other house was bought in the name of Guan Aimei, the wife of one of Alphaland’s employees. Its legal title was transferred to her on July 2, 2007, and she had been fined $5,000 over her role in the offence.
On July 13, 2007, Tan procured an option to buy Z. He also incorporated a firm called Hwampoa, which had no employees and no business operations. Instead, it was formed for the sole purpose of purchasing and holding the East Coast Road properties.
Zhan later authorised Hwampoa to acquire Z, which was bought for $2.4 million.
The prosecution had earlier asked for Zhan to be given the maximum fine, adding that they would have sought a jail sentence for him if not for several mitigating factors.
Among other things, Z was later sold and Hwampoa voluntarily surrendered $2.1 million. Zhan had also voluntarily surrendered another $2.3 million.
After committing the offences, Zhan was charged in a Singapore district court in 2017 before he returned to China.
He was overseas when he had a warrant of arrest issued against him in 2022. He finally returned here on March 1, 2024.

 

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Man who wore wife’s dress and brandished knife at store cashier in robbery attempt jailed, caned​

Mahmoud Abdeltawwab Riad Abdelhak was sentenced to two years and six months’ jail and six strokes of the cane. PHOTOS: COURT DOCUMENTS

Nadine Chua

APR 23, 2024

SINGAPORE – A man who wore his wife’s dress and brandished a knife at a 74-year-old cashier while attempting to rob a minimart was sentenced on April 23.
Mahmoud Abdeltawwab Riad Abdelhak, 39, who pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery charge and a theft charge, was sentenced to two years and six months in jail and six strokes of the cane.
On July 15, 2023, around 1.20am, Mahmoud, an Egyptian and a Singapore permanent resident, entered a 24-hour store in Toa Payoh wearing his wife’s black dress, her headscarf, two grey arm sleeves and a black mask.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Huo Jiongrui said the offender had intended to rob the store without being identified and was armed with a kitchen knife he brought from home.
As the cashier was seated at the counter reading a newspaper, Mahmoud walked behind her, brandished the knife near her face and told her not to shout.
Shocked, the cashier turned around and, upon seeing him, she screamed. The DPP said Mahmoud was startled by her screams and fled the scene.
To evade detection, he threw his wife’s clothes and the kitchen knife into two rubbish bins that were about 200m apart, the prosecution said.

He was arrested the same day and his wife’s clothes were found in the rubbish bins.
As to the theft charge, Mahmoud stole two rings in November 2022 from his sister-in-law, who was living with him and his wife at the time.
His sister-in-law shared a bedroom with her husband in the flat, and kept the door to the room locked when they were out.
But Mahmoud used a spare key to access the room and stole her engagement ring valued at $1,300 and wedding ring worth $1,899. He pawned both rings for a total of $247.
When his sister-in-law realised her rings were missing, she suspected that Mahmoud had a spare key to the room.

She installed a CCTV camera with a built-in speaker in the bedroom without him knowing.
When he entered the room again and rummaged through their belongings, his sister-in-law, who had been watching him on the camera’s live feed on her mobile phone, asked what he was doing through the speaker.
He immediately left the bedroom. His sister-in-law subsequently lodged a police report.
Seeking 31 to 35 months’ jail and six strokes of the cane, DPP Huo said that in relation to the attempted robbery offence, Mahmoud showed little remorse. “During investigations, he blatantly lied that he was out for a jog at the time of the offence despite the evidence against him.” The offence was premeditated, as Mahmoud took pains to dress up in his wife’s clothing to avoid being identified.
Those convicted of attempted robbery may face a jail term of between two and seven years and at least six strokes of the cane.

 

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Jail for ex-senior claims exec who cheated insurance firm of more than $10.7m over 7 years​

The prosecution said that Suyandi committed the offences to satisfy his own greed and fund his gambling addiction. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

APR 29, 2024

SINGAPORE – A senior claims executive at an insurance firm duped it into paying out more than $10.7 million in fraudulent claims between May 2010 and September 2017.
The prosecution said that Suyandi, who goes by only one name, committed the offences to satisfy his own greed and fund his gambling addiction. He has made no restitution.
The 46-year-old Singapore permanent resident was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months’ jail on April 29 after he pleaded guilty to eight charges, including multiple counts of cheating.
Fourteen other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing. Court documents did not disclose his nationality.
In 2009, Suyandi joined Ace Insurance before Chubb Insurance acquired it seven years later. Its name was then changed to Chubb Insurance Singapore.
He was a senior claims executive at the firm until he tendered his resignation on or around Sept 4, 2017. His employment agreement was terminated two months later.
While working for the company, his roles included reviewing and verifying claims submitted to it to determine their validity.

Deputy public prosecutors Koh Yi Wen and Yohanes Ng stated in court documents that claims would typically be submitted via e-mail from claimants.
For a claim to be approved, a claims executive like Suyandi must process it, determine the amount to be paid out, and subsequently key in these details into the company’s computer system.
The claims executive would then send the payee’s name, bank account details, payment method, and amount payable via e-mail to another department within the firm for payments to be made.

Between May 26, 2010, and Sept 13, 2017, Suyandi was involved in processing 355 false and unauthorised claims involving more than $10.7 million.
As a result, the company made telegraphic transfers to 29 different beneficiary bank accounts, 23 of which were located outside Singapore.
The prosecutors told the court: “According to the accused, the beneficiaries were unaware that the payments they received were fraudulent payments.
“The beneficiaries were acquaintances, friends of friends, or debtors whom the accused owed money to as a result of his gambling habit.”
Suyandi would then allow some of the overseas beneficiaries to retain 3 per cent to 10 per cent of the cash they received in exchange for their help in remitting remaining monies to him.

Some time before Nov 2, 2017, the company discovered there was some indication that he was involved in various false insurance claims submitted to it.
The firm hired a forensic accountant to look into the claims Suyandi had processed, and the police were alerted soon after. He was later charged in a district court in June 2023.
On April 29, the prosecutors asked for Suyandi to be given between 12 and 14 years’ jail, stressing he had been motivated by greed. They said: “The offences represent a complete perversion of the offender’s primary job responsibilities as a senior claims executive.
“He took the trust and authority reposed in him by the victim company and utterly abused it.”
Suyandi’s bail has been set at $80,000, and he was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on May 27 to begin serving his sentence.
For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

 

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Jail for carpenter who pocketed $10,000 for role in cheating cousin’s employer​

Goh Chen Ning, 34, had come to Singapore more than 10 years ago to work as a carpenter. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Andrew Wong

MAY 03, 2024

SINGAPORE - A Malaysian national who felt obliged to take up his cousin’s offer to cheat a company helped to forge 17 invoices worth more than $145,000.
Goh Chen Ning, 34, pocketed around $10,000 for these acts.
On May 3, he pleaded guilty to one count of cheating and was sentenced to five months’ jail.
One similar charge was taken into consideration.
Goh had come to Singapore more than 10 years ago to work as a carpenter.
Defence lawyer Asoka Markandu, said Goh’s cousin – Teoh Chwin Tzen, referred to as Jason in court – had asked Goh to help out in a carpentry shop on the weekends. Mr Asoka said Goh agreed to the arrangement as he wanted to earn more money. The lawyer did not clarify if the shop is Kai Millwork, where Jason worked.
But the cousins later conspired to cheat Kai Millwork, together with Jason’s colleague, Chiang Lai Fah.

Mr Asoka said Goh agreed to the scheme as he felt indebted to Jason for the work opportunity he provided. The lawyer said that Goh was only a “minion” acting on instructions. He added that this was a one-off incident and that Goh was a valuable member of society as a skilled carpenter, pointing out that Goh’s employer, who was in court, had stepped up to be his bailor.
Mr Asoka said: “To find that he has an employer who is with him today is something that speaks of his character.”
But District Judge Prem Raj said that Goh played an important part of the scheme, as there would have been no forged invoices without him.

“I do not think these were momentary lapses in judgment… especially if he did it on 17 occasions,” the judge said.
The court heard Jason had concocted a plan to cheat his company sometime in 2021. He would falsify, or instruct someone to falsify invoices – claiming works were done by freelancers.
Jason was then a supervisor in the firm. He was in charge of engaging freelancers and approving invoices for any work done by them. Jason would then send the invoices to Chiang, an accounting manager at the firm, who would sign off and approve the payments.
The freelancer, who was Goh in this case, would be paid by Kai Millwork. He would then transfer the money to Jason or Chiang.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Claire Poh said Jason had promised to give Goh some money for his role.
Goh pocketed around $10,000 after helping to falsify 10 invoices worth a total of $111,220 between February 2022 and January 2023. The DPP said Goh’s role came to light only when Jason was investigated for offences related to the company. Court documents do not detail the offences.
Goh has since made full restitution to the company.
The prosecution said Goh had falsified another seven invoices between February 2021 and January 2022, worth a total of $34,500.
On March 15, Chiang, 37, was sentenced to 10 months’ jail for her part in the scheme.
The Straits Times understands that Jason’s case is pending.
Those found guilty of non-aggravated cheating can be jailed for up to three years and fined.

 

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5 years’ jail for ‘key cog’ in cryptocurrency investment scam where victims lost $1.1m​

Chinese national Wang Xinghong pleaded guilty to six cheating charges and was sentenced to five years’ jail on Aug 6. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Aug 06, 2024

SINGAPORE – He was the chief technological officer (CTO) of a firm offering a cryptocurrency investment scheme and which claimed that it had 300,000 physical mining machines that could “mine cryptocurrency” to generate revenue.
However, the company identified as A&A Blockchain Innovation did not have these machines and was, in fact, running a Ponzi scheme when it induced 12 investors to part with more than $1.8 million.
But in total, the prosecution said that between May 2021 and February 2022, A&A attracted investments from more than 700 investors in Singapore, amounting to around $6.7 million.
According to the Coinbase website, mining is the process that several cryptocurrencies use to generate new coins and verify new transactions.
Chinese national Wang Xinghong, 40, whom the prosecution described as a “key cog” in the investment scam, pleaded guilty to six cheating charges and was sentenced to five years’ jail on Aug 6.
He had told investigators that he received around US$100,000 (S$132,500) from his involvement in A&A.
Wang has made no restitution and the prosecution said that as A&A operated a money circulation scheme, some of the affected investors were paid returns using money from other investors.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Shiau Yin told the court that the total loss suffered by the investors across Wang’s charges amounted to around $1.1 million.
The cases involving his alleged accomplices, including Dutch national Yang Bin, 61, and Chinese national Lu Huangbin, 60, are still pending.
At the time of Wang’s offences, Yang was the chairman and overall person in charge of A&A, while Lu was its chief executive.

DPP Wong said Yang incorporated A&A on April 20, 2021.
Between May 20, 2021, and Feb 15, 2022, it offered the “A&A chain mining scheme” to investors in Singapore.
Under this scheme, A&A promised investors a fixed daily return of 0.5 per cent on their investments, which would purportedly be derived from the mining of cryptocurrencies.
In its marketing materials to investors, which included presentation slides and promotional videos, A&A claimed that it had entered into an agreement with a firm called Yunnan Shun Ai Yun Xun Investment Holdings to acquire 70 per cent ownership of 300,000 mining machines in China, which could mine cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
A&A also claimed that it would generate the revenue for returns through the mining of cryptocurrency by using these machines.
In addition, the company developed an app that investors could use to purchase A&A “tokens” to invest in the mining scheme.

Investors could also monitor their purported 0.5 per cent daily returns through the app, the court heard.
DPP Wong said: “In reality, A&A did not enter into an agreement with Yunnan Holdings to acquire 70 per cent ownership of 300,000 mining machines. In fact, A&A did not mine cryptocurrency to generate revenue.
“Instead, A&A operated a money circulation, or Ponzi, scheme, using monies from later investors to pay returns owed to earlier investors.”
Yang managed to engage Wang to develop the app.
However, Wang was aware there was no real mining of cryptocurrency being done and no real returns were paid to investors.
Despite this, he developed the app, which was a centralised software where system managers based in China could input random numbers to falsely reflect investor returns.
The prosecutor said that Wang had central responsibility in maintaining the app and managed a team of China-based system managers.
Wang was also listed as the CTO in A&A marketing materials and had attended board of director meetings that the company had hosted.
Court documents did not disclose how his offences came to light, but he was later charged in court in 2023.
Wang was represented by lawyers Adrian Wee and Lynette Chang from Lighthouse Law, who said Yang used to be one of the richest people in China.
They pleaded for Wang to be given up to three years and 10 months’ jail, adding: “Our client did not conceptualise the cryptocurrency investment scheme.
“He also did not have any roles in the marketing of the scheme to investors or the making of false representations for the purposes of obtaining investment monies... Save for the development of the app, our client had no role in the operations of (A&A).”
For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Probation for nurse who stole 2 boxes of Pokemon cards worth over $480​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

May 14, 2024

SINGAPORE – A nurse stole two boxes of Pokemon cards worth more than $480 which he then sold to repay his debts.
Fong Jia Wei, a 23-year-old Malaysian, was sentenced to one year of probation on May 14 after he pleaded guilty to two theft charges.
As part of his sentence, the Singapore permanent resident must remain indoors from 11pm to 6am every day and perform 40 hours of community service.
His parents were also bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour.
Defence lawyers Josephus Tan and Cory Wong stated in court documents that Fong graduated from a polytechnic in April 2021, but his diploma was withheld as he owed the school around $7,000 in fees.
He finally received his diploma around April 2022 after paying his school fees with his savings and loans from friends.
The lawyers from Invictus Law Corporation said Fong decided to commit theft so that he could use the proceeds of his crime to repay his friends.

In January 2023, Fong watched videos on social media platform TikTok that showed people earning cash from selling Pokemon cards.
The lawyers told the court that certain rare cards could be sold for between $10 and $50 each.
Some cards could cost even more if they were popular or rare, the court heard.

The lawyers said: “The social media users had boasted that buying Pokemon card boxes/packets in bulk and then re-selling individual rare cards... could be quite a lucrative venture.”
Fong then hatched a plan to steal Pokemon cards and sell them to earn cash.
He was in a video game store at Paya Lebar Square shopping mall at around 4.30pm on May 2, 2023, when he stole a box of Pokemon cards worth more than $210.
One of the store’s retail assistants lodged a police report about the theft two days later.
Fong struck again on May 9, 2023, when he stole a box of Pokemon cards worth $270 from a convenience store in Commonwealth Avenue.
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He sold the cards stolen from the stores online and earned around $1,000.
Fong was arrested at Paya Lebar Square later that day. He was found to be in fraudulent possession of multiple packets of Pokemon cards. The cards that he sold were not recovered.
Fong was charged in court in August 2023.
For each count of theft, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail term upped from 6 weeks to 8 months for man who downloaded child sex abuse material​

The prosecution had appealed for a heavier sentence to be handed down to Randy Rosigit. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

May 15, 2024

SINGAPORE – A man who downloaded sexually explicit material involving children after he joined a Telegram chat group in which members shared pornography had his jail term increased from six weeks to eight months on May 15.
The prosecution had appealed to the High Court for a heavier sentence to be handed down to Randy Rosigit, 28, who had initially been sentenced by a district court in 2023.
The High Court panel, comprising Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice Tay Yong Kwang and Justice Vincent Hoong, will issue a written judgment at a later date.
Randy, an Indonesian and Singapore permanent resident, had pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing two still images and six videos that constituted child abuse material.
These had been shared in a Telegram group that he joined in June 2021.
The two still images showed underage girls who were naked, while the six videos depicted girls in various sexual acts.
One video shows a girl, who appeared to be under six years old, being groped by a man.

The duration of the videos ranged from 51sec to 37min and 46sec.
The images and videos were found in his portable drive and mobile phone after the police raided his home on Oct 22, 2021.
Two other charges were taken into account during sentencing. One was for gaining access to child abuse material in May 2020 via a web address, and the other was for possessing 119 obscene films that were not child abuse material.

On May 15, Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong appealed for at least six months’ jail for Randy.
She asked the court to set out a sentencing framework for the offence of possessing child abuse material to reflect the need for deterrence.
Under the law, the maximum punishment is five years’ jail, with possible caning and fine.
The prosecutor urged the court to consider the challenges of investigating such offences and the growing volume of child abuse material circulated worldwide.
DPP Wong contended that the sentencing factors include the quantity of material involved, the nature of the abuse depicted, and whether the offender distributed or traded the material.
She proposed classifying the types of material into two categories: the first for more heinous material depicting penetrative sex, sexual contact or physical violence, and the second for abuse that did not involve physical contact.
The DPP argued that in Randy’s case, five of the pieces of material in his possession fell within the first category and that his starting sentence should be 12 to 15 months’ jail.
After taking into account the May 2020 offence and adjusting the sentence downwards for his guilty plea, the DPP said a sentence of eight to 10 months’ jail would be appropriate.

 

[True Believer]

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[LITTLEREDDOT]

Coffee shop owner fined $8,000 for illegally operating supermarket in eatery, importing meat​

Products such as meatballs and sausages were seized from Thai Khaneng Coffeeshop by Singapore Food Agency officers. PHOTOS: SFA/FACEBOOK
Updated

May 15, 2024

SINGAPORE – The owner of Thai Khaneng Coffeeshop located in a Woodlands industrial estate was fined $8,000 on May 15 for illegally operating a supermarket within the eatery and selling illegally imported meat products.
About 148kg of meat products that had been illegally imported from Thailand were found at the eatery during a raid conducted on July 12, 2023, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in a statement.
The products, such as meatballs and sausages, were seized by SFA officers.
The eatery, owned by Keadkiaw Pensri, is located at 1 Woodlands Industrial Park E2.
Illegally imported food products of unknown sources can pose a food safety risk, said SFA in its statement.
“Meat and its products can only be imported from accredited sources in approved countries that comply with our food safety standards and requirements,” the agency added.
Those convicted of importing meat products illegally without a valid licence may be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.

Subsequent offenders may be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.
Officers also discovered that the supermarket operating within the coffee shop had no valid SFA supermarket licence.
All food establishments in Singapore including supermarkets must be licensed to operate, according to SFA.
Those convicted of contravening or failing to comply with the licence granted may be fined up to $2,000.
Offenders may be fined up to $100 for every day the offence continues after conviction.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for woman who swopped two digits on her motorcycle licence plate to avoid ERP charges​

Samuel Devaraj

May 23, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Malaysian woman who swopped two digits on her motorcycle licence plate to avoid Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on May 10.
Over four months in 2019 and 2020, Deivanai Karunanithi, 28, committed 68 ERP-related offences and five illegal parking offences with the altered plate.
She failed to fit an in-vehicle unit on her motorcycle, which is compulsory for foreign-registered motorcycles.
However, the ERP violations were not picked up as cameras captured the false rear licence plate.
Deivanai is the first person to be convicted over the use of a foreign-registered vehicle affixed with false licence plates for purposes of evading detection of unlawful activity.
She pleaded guilty to 14 charges of failing to ensure that the identification mark of a vehicle was correctly exhibited at the back of her vehicle.
She received a week’s jail sentence for each charge, with the court ordering three of the sentences to run consecutively.

Land Transport Authority (LTA) prosecutor Darren Toh said that one of its senior enforcement officers spotted a parked foreign-registered motorcycle in Bayfront Avenue at about 5pm on Feb 21, 2020.
The officer noted that the motorcycle displayed an identification mark of JTH1825 in the front, but JTH8125 in the rear, and found that only the first vehicle number was registered. The motorcycle was impounded for investigations.
Mr Toh said investigations revealed that the registered owner of the vehicle was Deivanai, who was at that time a security officer holding a work permit.
She would enter Singapore with the correct identification mark on both the front and rear of the motorcycle, but after passing through the Singapore Customs and upon reaching the Bukit Timah Expressway, she would swop the numerals “1” and “8” on the rear of the motorcycle.
“The accused admitted that she had done so in order to evade ERP charges,” Mr Toh said.
He added that from LTA’s records, the 68 ERP related offences and five illegal parking offences Deivanai committed occurred between October 2019 and February 2020, when the vehicle had the incorrect identification mark on its rear.
Offenders who fail to ensure that the identification mark of a vehicle is correctly exhibited according to the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.
Repeat offenders can be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

42 months’ jail for man who made off with nearly $735k from then employer​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

May 24, 2024

SINGAPORE – A supervisor at a wet market stall selling pork products misappropriated nearly $735,000 in total from his employer at the time over multiple occasions between Jan 1, 2019, and April 30, 2022.
Chinese national Sun Chao, 39, who has since made partial restitution of $40,000 to JMS Trading and Supplies, was sentenced to three years and six months’ jail on May 24.
He had pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal breach of trust involving more than $565,000.
Two other similar charges linked to the remaining amount were considered during sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Koh Yi Wen told the court that Sun started working for JMS around 2013 and became a supervisor at the stall in Woodlands Avenue 6 some four years later.
Sun was required to tally up sales proceeds, which were kept in a locked drawer at the stall, and to pass the monies to a JMS company representative at around 1pm every day.
But from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2019, Sun misappropriated nearly $196,000 in total.

He also made off with nearly $370,000 in total between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2020.
Court documents did not disclose how his offences came to light, but a director at JMS lodged a police report on May 31, 2022.
On May 24, DPP Koh urged the court to give Sun a sentence of up to four years’ jail, saying: “Due to the informal nature of business at wet market stalls, it is not always possible to record the details of every transaction that takes place whenever a sale is made.
“It is in this context that the offender abused the high degree of trust reposed in him... by pilfering from the daily sales proceeds of the very stall that he was supposed to be overseeing.”
Sun’s bail has been set at $50,000 and he is expected to surrender himself at the State Courts on May 27 to begin serving his sentence.
For each count of criminal breach of trust, an offender can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Migrant worker in loan shark case to leave Singapore by May 31; alleged harasser not found​

Mr Md Sharif Uddin complained online on May 25 that he was being sent back home following the conclusion of investigations. PHOTO: ST FILE

May 31, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Bangladeshi worker who was supposedly harassed by loan sharks is to leave Singapore by May 31, after the police concluded their investigations and could not find the harasser.
This comes after Mr Md Sharif Uddin complained online on May 25 that he was being sent back home following the conclusion of investigations into the alleged harassment. He said in the video that the authorities had earlier promised him he could continue working in Singapore after his case was concluded.
According to a joint statement by the Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on May 28, Mr Sharif was told on May 23 that he is no longer required to remain in Singapore as the police investigations have ended.
“Extensive investigations were conducted, including detailed interviews and forensic examinations of evidence to establish the identity and motive of the alleged harasser, who had not only harassed Mr Sharif, but his former and potential employers as well,” said the statement.
“The police have not found any evidence to suggest that Mr Sharif had borrowed from (unlicensed moneylenders) and have exhausted all leads to identify the alleged harasser.”
In April, MOM and the police said they would investigate Mr Sharif’s case, after the 46-year-old said in a video – posted by migrant worker welfare groups on social media – that he lost his job after telling his employer to alert the police about illegal moneylenders who were harassing him over an alleged unpaid loan.
He denied borrowing any money and said he was given one month’s notice, with his last day of employment stated in the termination notice as April 12.

Mr Sharif’s case gained the support of more than 760 people, who signed an online petition to let the father of two remain in Singapore.
He is also the first migrant worker to win the Singapore Book Award for Best Non-Fiction Title.
During the police investigation, Mr Sharif was issued a special pass to facilitate his stay in Singapore to assist the authorities looking into the case, after his work permit was terminated by his former employer on April 11.
His former employer had paid for his accommodation and meals during the investigation period, said police.

According to the statement, Mr Sharif was also allowed to seek employment under the Temporary Job Scheme but was not able to secure a job.
The short-term employment scheme is for foreigners who are required to remain in Singapore for investigation or prosecution purposes.
“During this time, the Ministry of Manpower and the Migrant Workers’ Centre had reached out to him to check on his well-being and linked him up with employment agencies to support his job search,” said the statement.
“Mr Sharif had expressed his preference to be a safety coordinator in the construction industry, but he was unable to secure such offers; we also understand that he had declined job offers for non-construction roles.”
Mr Sharif’s special pass was due to expire on May 24, but was extended to May 27 to allow him time to make departure arrangements.
It was then further extended to May 31 upon Mr Sharif’s request and given the circumstances of his case, said the statement.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Man behind global malware network objects to extradition to US after arrest in S’pore​

At the end of proceedings, the judge granted the prosecution’s request for Wang Yunhe to be remanded a further seven days. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Wong Shiying

May 31, 2024

SINGAPORE – The Chinese national arrested in Singapore for allegedly running a network of zombie computers which allowed criminals to commit a myriad of offences has objected to his extradition to the US.
At the State Courts on May 31, Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun asked Wang Yunhe if he intends to surrender himself to the foreign authorities.
The Singapore Police Force earlier indicated that Washington had made an extradition request for Wang after his arrest. The US has an extradition treaty with Singapore.
His lawyer, Mr Ng Yuan Siang, who said he was briefed by Wang’s spouse, said his client is objecting to the extradition.
The judge asked Mr Ng if Wang is aware that he can give consent to his extradition and waive proceedings. The lawyer said he will speak to his client about this.
Changes were made to the Extradition Act in April 2022 to allow fugitives to consent to their extradition.
This is in line with international practice, to save state resources and prevent the fugitive from being detained longer than necessary in Singapore.

During proceedings which lasted about 15 minutes, Wang tried to present his case to the judge, but was stopped by his lawyer.
The bespectacled 35-year-old, who appeared via video link, spoke Mandarin and had a court interpreter translate for him.
At the end of proceedings, the judge granted the prosecution’s request for Wang to be remanded a further seven days.

His next appearance is on June 6.
In an earlier statement, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wang’s purported offences had allowed cyber criminals to steal billions of dollars through financial fraud, identity theft and other crimes.
He was arrested on May 24 in a multi-jurisdiction operation led by the DOJ.
Wang had allegedly worked with others between 2014 and July 2022 to create and disseminate the 911 S5 Botnet to millions of home-based Windows computers across the world.

A botnet refers to a network of computers infected by malware that is under the control of a single attacking party.
US officials said Wang allegedly sold access to the infected computers – in what is considered the “world’s largest botnet ever” – to cyber criminals who used the devices to commit crimes, from fraud to cyber-stalking.
An archived version of one of the websites selling the IP addresses showed that it cost US$28 (S$38) to purchase 150 addresses. Users could pay through several options, including Bitcoin, Alipay and WeChat Pay.

An archived version of one of the websites selling the IP addresses showed it cost US$28 (S$38) to purchase 150 addresses. PHOTO: INTERNET ARCHIVE
The DOJ said Wang, who holds St Kitts and Nevis citizenship, allegedly received US$99 million from cyber criminals who tapped his network from 2018 to July 2022.
He used the money to purchase 21 properties across the US, St Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Thailand, China and the United Arab Emirates.
He also has business ties in Singapore, with records showing that he was appointed as a director in two active companies on Jan 15, 2022 – Gold Click, a holding company, and Universe Capital Management, a management consultancy firm.
US court documents described the companies Wang registered as “shell companies he used to conceal the identity and illegitimate nature of his 911 S5 service and its related proceeds”.
Dozens of his assets and properties may be seized, the DOJ said.
They include a Singapore-registered 2022 Ferrari F8 Spider, bank accounts with CIMB Bank, Citibank Singapore and banks in Thailand, a condominium unit in Angullia Park, and Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet watches.
For his alleged crimes, Wang faces a maximum of 65 years in a US prison if convicted on all counts.