Foreign talent's contributions to Singapore

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Man fined S$2,000 for repeatedly masturbating on train​

File photo of an MRT train.

Lydia Lam​

@LydiaLamCNA
10 Nov 2021

SINGAPORE: A man who repeatedly masturbated on a train was fined S$2,000 by a court on Wednesday (Nov 10).

Malaysian national Lee Sin Hee, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of performing an obscene act, to the annoyance of fellow commuters.

The court heard that Lee was on an MRT train, travelling towards Harbourfront on the Circle Line on the evening of Apr 12 this year.

He stood near the cabin door, facing a woman who was nearby, and masturbated in his pants. He stopped only when the woman alighted at Serangoon Station.

After this, Lee moved to the centre of the cabin and stood in front of another woman. He began masturbating again, using his bag to shield his hand movements from view, the prosecutor said.

The woman moved to another cabin, but Lee's actions were spotted by a man in the cabin who stopped him and asked him to alight at the next station.

Lee initially refused, but eventually complied. A staff member at Lorong Chuan Station called the police, saying a man was causing public nuisance.

At about 1pm on Aug 21 this year, Lee took another train, heading towards Woodlands along the North-South Line.

The train was heading to Yio Chu Kang Station from Ang Mo Kio Station when Lee saw a woman sitting in a cabin. He felt aroused looking at her, and began masturbating in his pants, said the prosecutor. He used his bag to shield his movements.

Another woman sitting across from the victim saw what happened. As she was accompanied by her eight-year-old niece, the woman shifted her body so that her niece would not see what Lee was doing.

After Lee completed his sex act, he alighted at Khatib Station. The women later reported what happened to train staff.

The prosecutor sought a fine of S$2,000, noting that Lee has no previous convictions.

Lee, who had no lawyer, asked for a light sentence.

"I have no money as I have been out of a job for the past two months. I would like to serve a default sentence," he said through an interpreter.

However, despite what he said, Lee later paid the S$2,000 fine and will not have to serve the eight days' jail in default.

For each charge of committing an obscene act, he could have been jailed up to three months and fined.

 

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Palatsides only came to Singapore to get expat pay, enjoy life and play backsides?

Football: Palatsides did not make an impact, say members of local fraternity​

Football Association of Singapore technical director Joseph Palatsides quit the top post abruptly just five months after signing a contract extension.PHOTO: ST FILE
Sazali Abdul Aziz and Deepanraj Ganesan

Nov 10, 2021


SINGAPORE - The local football fraternity has delivered a withering assessment of former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) technical director Joseph Palatsides, rating his 2 ½ year tenure an average of just 3.35 out of 10 in a poll of 20 officials, coaches and players involved in the game here.
Palatisdes was unveiled as the new head of academy coaching for A-League club Melbourne Victory on Wednesday morning (Nov 10), less than 24 hours after his departure from FAS was announced due to "health and personal reasons" brought about by the pandemic.
His abrupt exit - which came just five months after he signed a two-year extension after an initial two years - and subsequent swift move to Victory raised the ire of some in the local scene.
Out of the 20 individuals The Straits Times contacted - including coaches who have previously served in the FAS set-up, officials at Singapore Premier League (SPL) clubs and former national players - to rate Palatsides' tenure, only two gave him a score of more than five out of 10. Two individuals declined to rate him.
One of them who declined, Geylang International coach Md Noor Ali, said: "I think it's not right to judge him because his time here coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic. He may have had the plans but it was not possible to execute them during this period."
Many ST spoke to said they were surprised by the nature of Palatsides' exit. In fact, members of the FAS council - who asked not to be named - shared that they were unaware of his impending departure until an Australian website reported the news hours before FAS' hastily-arranged announcement.

Hougang United assistant coach Firdaus Kassim, who previously coached at clubs in Thailand and worked with the Singapore and Laos national teams, said: "We barely get to see what was in the pipeline that was supposed to be implemented."
SPL player turned football pundit and commentator Rhysh Roshan Rai added that it was a shock given the technical director role is tied to an association's long-term plans. Furthermore, the FAS had announced a target to qualify for the 2034 World Cup, called Unleash The Roar.
"As a member of the public and as stakeholders in Unleash The Roar, which we are asked to be a part and believe in... there has to be more transparency in what has happened here," said Rai.
"How is it he signed a contract, then he is working back home in Australia, and now he's left us?"

In its media statement, the FAS said that Palatsides' "efforts in youth development" were recognised by the Asian Football Confederation when Singapore was offered full membership into its Elite Youth Scheme in 2020.
Under his watch, the FAS technical department has also "reviewed and revamped existing curriculum" to educate coaches on best practices in the modern game while keeping in line with FAS' football philosophy.
This curriculum was rolled out to all levels of coaches here including coach developers, heads of youth development and those from clubs' Centres of Excellence as well as ActiveSG Football Academy, the FAS added.
But one former SPL coach, who declined to be named, attended a Zoom session where Palatsides and other FAS coaches elaborated on the FAS playing philosophy, and said he was unimpressed by the "basic" plans.
Another coach, who has been involved in youth football coaching for over a decade, said: "Are we any less (off) without him? No. He had no impact at any level."

Firdaus suggested that the grumbling on the ground is because of the changes that are likely to arise with a new man at the helm, who will take over from interim technical director Philippe Aw.
"Do we restart again which will set us back by a few years or do we carry out what was planned?" asked Firdaus. "A new technical director might have his own ideas of how certain things should be run."
Noor said that experience is a key requirement for the next technical director, who must also understand the local landscape.
"You need someone tough as a technical director, because he needs to make big changes to turn things around," said the former national winger. "You cannot have a yes man."
Rai said the new hire needs to be "firmly committed to the cause" and one who "actually wants to leave a mark".
Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong agreed, saying that he must be in it for the long haul. "He needs to see through whatever plans he has and ensure those plans are implemented. Rome wasn't built in a day (and in football) two years doesn't work."

 

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Man fined, apologises for wakeboarding at Civilian War Memorial above remains of war victims​

Stephan Kovalkov at State Courts on Nov 12, 2021. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)

Lydia Lam​

@LydiaLamCNA
12 Nov 2021

SINGAPORE: Hoping to take a video of himself wakeboarding at "unique areas" in Singapore, a man set up boatless wakeboarding equipment at the Civilian War Memorial and skied across the water five times.
Singaporean Stephan Kovalkov, 24, was fined S$4,000 on Friday (Nov 12) for one count of wilfully interfering with a national monument under the Preservation of Monuments Act.
This is the first time such an offence has been committed in Singapore.
The court heard that Kovalkov was born in Singapore and served full-time national service.
On the evening of Jul 17 this year, Kovalkov and four accomplices drove around Singapore to look for a wakeboarding spot in the city area.
The accomplices are: 24-year-old Russian national and Singapore permanent resident Ekaterina Utkina, 20-year-old British national William Bryn Vaughan, 19-year-old Singaporean Sheikh Mustafa Sheikh Abdul Sattar San'ani and 18-year-old Singaporean Clarence Aloysious Batchelor.
Kovalkov suggested that they gather at the Civilian War Memorial and set up equipment there for boatless wakeboarding, including a self-modified wind pulley system at one end of the water feature.
He was shown in video clips played in court strapping himself to a wakeboard, with a helmet on, before skiing across the water at the base of the Civilian War Memorial.

In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Facebook, a man was seen wakeboarding at the Civilian War Memorial, a national monument dedicated to the civilian victims of the Japanese Occupation. (Image: Facebook/Malvin Fang)
He did so five times, executing a wakeboarding move known as a wall slide and bouncing off a concrete wall of the memorial. Ekaterina helped him to film the act and one of the clips later went viral, prompting a police report.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Koh Mun Keong said the Civilian War Memorial was unveiled by former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on Feb 15, 1967, after prayers were said by leaders of the Inter-Religious Council representing various faiths in Singapore.
It was gazetted by the National Heritage Board in August 2013 as the 65th National Monument of Singapore.
The memorial commemmorates the civilian victims of World War II and Singapore's multi-racialism, and is meant to symbolise the shared suffering of Singapore's four main ethnic groups as well as victims of the war.
The memorial, which features four pillars merging into one towards the sky, is built over a burial chamber containing exhumed remains from mass graves of civilian war victims found around Singapore in 1962.
The base of the memorial is surrounded by two shallow pools of water, and it was here that Kovalkov wakeboarded. Memorial services are held at the site on Feb 15 every year in remembrance of the victims of World War II.
Mr Koh sought a fine of between S$3,000 and S$5,000, stating that the memorial is of "monumental significance to Singapore and Singaporeans".
"It was constructed in memory of one of the defining tragedies in our nation's history. It contains actual remains of the victims of World War II and symbolises the shared suffering of Singapore's four main ethnic groups during the war," he said.
He added that any form of disrespect must be deterred.
Lawyer Noor Mohamed Marican asked for a fine of S$3,000, saying that his client "truly and genuinely meant no disrespect".
He said Kovalkov's intention was to take a video of him wakeboarding in unique areas in Singapore to "generate and attract positive interest about Singapore about the wakeboarding community internationally".
He thought his actions were permissible, but was "completely wrong", added Mr Marican.
Kovalkov asked his lawyer to apologise for his conduct, as well as to the people of Singapore, specifically the relatives, loved ones and friends of the victims of the war.
His lawyer included in his mitigation his past services in the military police.
The judge agreed that deterrence is a key factor in sentencing, to deter other like-minded offenders and to underscore the importance of how national monuments should be treated, not in "a cavalier manner".
However, she noted that this was Kovalkov's first brush with the law, and that he was previously commended for civic-minded acts.
For wilfully interfering with a national monument, Kovalkov could have been jailed up to six months, fined up to S$30,000, or both.

 

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Malaysian cleaning supervisor sentenced to death for drug trafficking​

Selina Lum
Law Correspondent

Nov 15, 2021

SINGAPORE - A 39-year-old Malaysian cleaning supervisor who was caught with a bag of drugs in his motorcycle parked along Harbourfront Avenue has been sentenced to death for trafficking.
Munusamy Ramarmurth was convicted by the High Court last Wednesday (Nov 10) of being in possession of 6.3kg of a granular substance, which was found to contain 57.54g of heroin after analysis. The law provides for the death penalty if the amount of heroin trafficked is more than 15g.
In written grounds issued on Monday (Nov 15) to explain her decision to convict Munusamy, Justice Audrey Lim said she disbelieved his contention that he thought the bag contained stolen mobile phones.
The judge also rejected his claim that he had allowed a compatriot to store the bag temporarily in the rear box of his motorcycle so that another man could collect it later.
In her 42-page grounds, Justice Lim also rapped investigating officer (IO) Derek Wong for prompting a witness who was on the stand during the trial - conduct that the judge said was "inappropriate and unacceptable".
"Attempting to prompt a witness who is testifying, even on a point which may turn out to be immaterial or inconsequential, is improper and unbefitting of an enforcement officer," she said.

The IO had signalled to Sergeant Mohammad Nasrulhaq on two occasions.
He picked up a field diary and showed it to Sgt Nasrulhaq when the latter was being asked about whether the handover of a duffel bag was recorded.
He also mouthed the word "diamorphine" when Sgt Nasrulhaq was asked by the court what the term "heroin" referred to.
The judge said while the IO's conduct did not prejudice Munusamy's case, the same might not be said in other instances.

Justice Lim said she had directed the Public Prosecutor to raise the matter to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) to take appropriate measures and to ensure that officers who are involved in investigations are properly briefed and made aware of the boundaries of their conduct in relation to cases pending in court.
Munusamy, who has worked in Singapore for 14 years, was arrested on the afternoon of Jan 26, 2018 in the cleaners' room at Harbourfront Centre Tower 2.
He was then escorted to his motorcycle parked at the open-air carpark at Keppel Bay Tower. A red plastic bag, containing bundles of drugs, was found inside the rear box of his bike.
During his trial, Munusamy said he had allowed a Malaysian named Saravanan to store the bag temporarily in the box. He said Saravanan told him someone known as "Boy" would collect it.
Munusamy claimed that he thought the bag contained stolen mobile phones because in July 2017, Saravanan and Boy had asked him to help store some stolen phones in the box.
He said Saravanan told him that items in the bag were "panas".
Munusamy said the term meant "stolen item" although his lawyer, Mr Mahadevan Lukshumayeh, did not dispute that it could also refer to illegal drugs.
Justice Lim concluded that Munusamy's story was made up.
"I found his claim that he thought the red bag contained handphones or stolen handphones was an afterthought which emerged only at the trial," said the judge.
She noted that in his statements to the CNB, Munusamy made no mention of the alleged July 2017 incident or that the bag would be collected by someone later.
On the contrary, the judge found, Munusamy knew what was in the bag.
She noted that Munusamy knew that Saravanan was involved in drug activities, yet he did not check the contents of the bag.
Under the law, the court has the discretion not to impose the death penalty if the prosecution certifies that a drug courier had substantively assisted the CNB in disrupting drug activities.
"As the prosecution did not issue him with a certificate of substantive assistance... I passed the mandatory death sentence on him," said Justice Lim.

 

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I’ll bite you to death’: Woman jailed for scratching, kicking, swearing at police in drunken row at MRT station

By DARYL CHOO
Published NOVEMBER 15, 2021



Restaurant worker Wang Zhaomei was jailed for 16 weeks on Nov 15, 2021 after kicking and swearing at police officers at Raffles Place MRT station.

• Restaurant worker Wang Zhaomei, 49, was at the Raffles Place MRT station after some drinks with her husband and friends
• The altercation broke out when police officers tried to escort the visibly drunk couple out of the station
• Wang told the court that she was “deeply sorry” to all of whom she had caused harm

SINGAPORE — While being escorted out of Raffles Place MRT station after getting in a drunken row with her husband, restaurant worker Wang Zhaomei scratched and swore at a police officer before later kicking another in the groin.

Wang, 49, was jailed for 16 weeks on Monday (Nov 15), after pleading guilty to four charges: One of voluntarily causing hurt and another criminal force against a public servant, as well as two counts of using abusive words towards a public servant.

Three other charges related to the altercation were taken into consideration during sentencing: For spitting at a police officer, not wearing her mask properly and causing annoyance in a public place while drunk.

Her husband, cleaner Li Yong, 50, was sentenced last month to four weeks and two days’ jail for assaulting two police officers and causing annoyance to a third while drunk.

The couple are both Chinese nationals.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Zhou Yang told the court that before the incident on Aug 13 last year, the pair had dinner with two friends at a hotpot restaurant where the four of them shared two large bottles of Chinese baijiu liquor.

That night, three police officers who were patrolling the station spotted Li and Wang arguing at a platform. Li had been laying on the floor drunk while Wang tried to rouse him.

One of the police officers, Sergeant Timothy Khoo, 20, called another team of officers for backup.

The officers approached the couple to escort them out of the station but they refused to co-operate, DPP Zhou said.

Li had to be pinned to the ground and handcuffed.

Wang, meanwhile, became agitated after some struggle and pulled off Sgt Khoo’s police lanyard, all the while shouting that Li and her had not committed any offence.

With Sgt Khoo’s lanyard in her hands, Wang then claimed that the officers were trying to take her belongings.

A scuffle ensued when Sgt Khoo tried to restrain Wang to get his lanyard back and Wang scratched Sgt Khoo’s lanyard in the process, causing his left hand to bleed.

Wang then told Sgt Khoo in Mandarin: “(If) you don’t let me go, I’ll bite you to death.”

She was later handcuffed after officers failed to get her on a wheelchair. The pair were taken to a room by police officers as MRT staff members urged commuters to refrain from taking photos.

Along the way, Wang repeatedly shouted and hurled expletives at Sgt Khoo, and told him at one point: “I’m (a) Chinese national, you are all dog food… bastard.”

After the couple were brought into the room, Wang kicked another police officer’s thigh and groin and swore at him.

Footage from a police officer’s body cam of the altercation was played in court on Monday as Wang stood watching from the docks.

Wang, who did not have a lawyer, cried as she addressed the court in Mandarin through an interpreter: “I’m deeply sorry to all whom I’ve caused harm.”

She added that she needed to care for her elderly parents and her mother-in-law back home, all of whom are in their 80s, and asked for a fine instead of a jail term.

“I hope I will be given a chance to stay in Singapore. I know I was in the wrong. I will not repeat this same mistake,” she said.

For using criminal force on a public servant with the intent of preventing him from discharging his duty, she could have been jailed for up to four years, fined, caned or punished with both. For voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, she could have been jailed up to seven years, fined, caned or punished with any combination of the three.

For using abusive words towards a public servant, she could have been jailed for up to 12 months, fined up to S$5,000, or punished with both.

 

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Chinese national convicted for 'attacking' 2 buses at Woodlands depot after having several beers​

Zhu Honglu removed the windscreen wiper of one bus, and yanked out a side mirror of another, among other acts.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Samuel Devaraj

Nov 15, 2021

SINGAPORE - After drinking seven cans of beer at home, a construction worker headed to a Woodlands depot where he targeted two buses and caused $6,200 in damage.
He removed the windscreen wiper of one bus, and yanked out a side mirror of the other vehicle, among other acts.
On Monday (Nov 15), Zhu Honglu, 32, a Chinese national, was convicted in court of causing mischief.
A second charge of causing annoyance in a public place while drunk was taken into consideration.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amir told the court that Zhu stood in the middle of the road outside the bus depot in Woodlands Industrial Park at about 1.30am on Nov 22 last year.
He shouted as he ran towards an SMRT bus that was returning to the depot.

He targeted the windscreen wiper of the bus - which had stopped - and knocked on the windscreen.
DPP Hidayat said: "(Zhu) managed to remove the wiper. He then attempted to pull open the bus doors but failed."
Zhu left after some time.
About 20 minutes later, he suddenly walked in front of another SMRT bus that was being driven into the depot. The driver immediately stopped the vehicle, and was shouted at by Zhu.

He managed to remove the side mirror and used it to hit the windscreen, causing several scratches.
He then kicked the door to try to open it. When he failed to do so, Zhu pulled apart the rubber seal attached to the door.
A staff member from the SMRT operations office called the police.
Although no damage was caused to the first bus, DPP Hidayat said the other suffered damage - including to its windscreen and mirror - that needed repairs totalling $6,200.

Zhu made full restitution to SMRT on Sept 6 this year.
DPP Hidayat asked for a three to five weeks' jail sentence
Zhu, who was present in court, was represented by lawyer Cheryl Ng who asked for a fine of $4,000. In her mitigation plea, she said the act was impulsive and that the damage done was reversible.
She added that her client had cooperated with the police and did not have a history of offences.
Citing past cases, she said Zhu's offence did not meet the threshold for a custodial sentence.
District Judge Wong Li Tein asked for further submissions from the prosecution and the case will be heard on Nov 22.
For causing mischief, Zhu can be jailed up to two years, fined or both.

 

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Jail for ex-Genneva employee who unlawfully redeemed gold bars from pawnshop​

Chen Qiaoling sold the gold bars in October 2012 and received more than $150,000 in cash.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Nov 18, 2021

SINGAPORE - When gold trading company Genneva ran into difficulties over promises made to customers in a buyback scheme, it asked them to send back the gold bars, saying it was just for authentication.
But instead of returning them later, some of the bars were pawned for loans.
Genneva sales agent Chen Qiaoling falsely stated that she was the pawner on three pawn tickets in August 2012.
The Chinese national later falsely declared the loss of the tickets and dishonestly redeemed 3kg of the precious metal worth more than $200,000 from a local pawnshop.
Chen, now 38, sold the gold bars in October 2012 and received more than $150,000 in cash. The Singapore permanent resident later remitted more than $109,000 to a bank account in China.
On Thursday (Nov 18), she was sentenced to a year's jail after she pleaded guilty earlier this week to two counts of cheating.

Defence lawyer Amarjit Singh Sidhu told the court that she was not the mastermind behind the scheme, adding that the proceeds had been used to compensate and refund some clients in China.
She has since made a partial restitution of more than $40,000 and The Straits Times understands that she is no longer working for Genneva.
The court heard that its customers bought gold bars at up to 40 per cent above the market retail price. They would then receive monthly payouts of up to 3 per cent of the purchase price.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Wei Liang told the court: "At the end of the contractual period, the customers may either sell the gold back to Genneva at the purchase price, keep the gold, or renew the contract to continue receiving monthly payouts."

On Aug 17, 2012, the company implemented a "gold inspection" scheme.
Clients who had bought gold bars had to send them back for "inspection", failing which they would be unable to renew their contracts with the firm or collect monthly payouts.
DPP Lee said the purpose of the inspection was purportedly for Genneva to authenticate each piece of gold sold to its customers.
Between Aug 17 and Sept 30 that year, it collected around 3,500kg of gold, but only about 2,700kg were later returned.
A portion of the remaining gold was sold, pawned or used to fulfil new sales. Investigations revealed that Genneva pawned about 125kg of gold bars at various shops in Singapore.

The Commercial Affairs Department later received "a large number" of reports over issues, including failure to pay customers their promised monthly payouts.
The court heard that a purchasing head of Genneva had been tasked to pawn gold bars collected from customers.
On Aug 23, 2012, Chen accompanied him to a pawnshop where he handed over 3kg of gold bars.
Chen falsely put her name on the pawn tickets as the pawner and received a loan of more than $166,000.
The pawn tickets and monies were then handed to the purchasing head.
Chen and other sales agents later found out that some unknown individuals had tried to redeem the gold bars which they had helped to pledge for money.
She decided to get back the valuables pledged under her name before these unknown individuals redeemed them.
On Sept 29, 2012, she falsely reported to the pawnshop that the pawn tickets were lost, despite knowing that they were, in fact, with the purchasing head.
Later that day, she falsely declared the loss before a Commissioner of Oaths and submitted the affirmed declaration form to an employee of the pawnshop.

As Chen did not have enough cash on her, she redeemed two of the three gold bars before selling them to a bank for around $140,000 on Oct 1, 2012.
She used part of the money to redeem the third bar, which she later sold to the bank for about $70,000.
The court heard that she received total net sale proceeds of more than $150,000.
On Oct 17 that year, she remitted part of her ill-gotten gains to a bank account in China.
Chen's bail was set at $30,000 on Thursday and she will have to surrender at the State Courts on Nov 25 to begin serving her sentence.
For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed up to three years and fined.
In July last year, Genneva's former general manager, Malaysian Kwok Fong Loong, then 65, was sentenced to 56 months' jail after admitting to one count of fraudulent trading.
The cases involving two of its former directors - Singaporean Iseli Rudolf James Maitland, 62, and Malaysian How Soo Feng, 47 - are still pending.

 

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Jail for couple who lied to Covid-19 contact tracers about their whereabouts, activities​

Shi Sha (left) was sentenced to six months' jail and her husband Hu Jun was sentenced to five months' jail.

ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Nov 24, 2021

SINGAPORE - A woman who repeatedly hindered a health officer from carrying out her duties amid the Covid-19 outbreak by withholding information and giving false information was sentenced to six months' jail on Wednesday (Nov 24).
Shi Sha, 38, had earlier been convicted of four charges under the Infectious Diseases Act.
On Wednesday, her husband, Hu Jun, 40, was sentenced to five months' jail after being convicted of a charge under the Act. He had deliberately withheld information from another health officer.
Following a joint trial, District Judge Ng Peng Hong convicted the Chinese nationals on Oct 26.
They were the first two people to be charged under the Act in relation to the current pandemic.
Shi was living in Singapore when her husband flew here from Wuhan, which was the epicentre of Covid-19 at the time.


In an earlier statement, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said Hu arrived in Singapore on Jan 22 last year, and was confirmed to be infected with Covid-19 nine days later. He recovered and was discharged from hospital on Feb 19.
Shi was identified as his close contact and issued a quarantine order on Feb 1 after MOH initiated contact tracing to identify those who may have been exposed to him.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh said in his submissions the couple had lied to contact tracers about their whereabouts and activities in Singapore between Jan 22 and 29 last year to protect their privacy.
He added: "It was imperative that the MOH obtain accurate information about their movements in Singapore to identify and isolate the persons who had come into close contact with them to stem the spread of Covid-19 here.

"By lying about their movements in Singapore, the accused persons hindered this critical exercise by MOH."
Between Jan 22 and 28, Hu had travelled to Long Beach @ Stevens restaurant in Stevens Road and Ngee Ann City shopping centre in Orchard Road, among other places.
Senior public health officer Georgina Lim testified in court Shi had told her she was in isolation at home with her husband.
But Land Transport Authority records showed Shi had booked rides from private-hire car service Grab to several locations - including Ngee Ann City - in late January, said Ms Lim.
The records also showed she had booked a Grab ride from Studio M Hotel in Robertson Quay to go to the Singapore General Hospital on Jan 29.

Ms Lim testified this was contrary to what Shi told her - that she had flagged down a blue taxi outside their home to take her husband to the hospital that day.
In his submissions, DPP Koh said the couple had claimed they did not lie to the contact tracers.
"According to them, they knew that they had to cooperate with MOH's contact tracing efforts and, indeed, were doing their level best to provide complete and accurate information to MOH," he added.
They had also claimed the charges against them arose from misunderstandings due to a language barrier and the contact tracers rushing through the process or asking questions that were too specific or not open-ended.
The couple were represented by lawyers Steven John Lam and Fiona Oon.
Taking the stand in July this year, Shi told the court she had difficulty communicating with the contact tracer, and that their conversation in Mandarin was like a chicken talking to a duck.
For each charge under the Act, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.
A repeat offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $20,000.

 

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Court of Appeal upholds death sentences of 2 men convicted of cannabis trafficking​

A generic photo of cannabis. The two men had brought the drugs into Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint in March 2016.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH

Jean Iau

Nov 26, 2021

SINGAPORE - Singapore's highest court on Friday (Nov 26) upheld the death sentences of two men who had been convicted of conspiring to traffic at least 1.34kg of cannabis.
The two men, Malaysian Kamalnathan Muniandy, 27, and Singaporean Chandroo Subramaniam, 52, had denied being involved in the operation and knowing about the drugs.
The Court of Appeal also dismissed an appeal made by a third man involved in the case, Malaysian national Pravinash Chandran, who was sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane for having the drugs in his possession.
The High Court judge had found that Pravinash, 26, was a mere courier of the drugs, and the prosecution had certified that he had helped disrupt drug trafficking activities.
On March 5, 2016, Kamalnathan and Pravinash arrived in Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint.
When they arrived at Kranji MRT station, the drugs were placed in Pravinash's haversack. Both men then went to a nearby coffee shop where Kamalnathan called a man identified only as "Suren".

They later went to Kranji Road, where they established contact with Chandroo, who handed them money and empty plastic bags.
The trio were arrested by officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) shortly after parting ways. The drugs were found in Pravinash's haversack, in a judgment released on Friday (Nov 26).
While the men each gave varying accounts, the High Court judge relied heavily on Pravinash's account, which implicated Kamalnathan as the one in charge of the operation and Chandroo as the person the drugs were meant to be delivered to, said Justices Andrew Phang, Steven Chong and Belinda Ang.
They found that the High Court judge had been right in rejecting Kamalnathan and Chandroo's accounts.
Kamalnathan said in his statements to the police that he was taking instructions from Suren, and he knew Pravinash had drugs on him because he was paid RM200 to bring Pravinash to Singapore. At the trial, he asserted that he had entered Singapore to help Pravinash find a job and that the three blocks of drugs contained "certificates" to be passed to "uncle".
Chandroo's credibility was also found to be questionable after he failed to give a consistent account of what the $4,000 found in his possession was intended for.
He had earlier claimed he was on his way to Malaysia to pass the money to a friend to pay for his house, and had met Kamalnathan and Pravinash by chance for the first time along Kranji Road when Pravinash stopped and asked him for directions to Tekka. Chandroo later said during trial that he was at Kranji Road to pass money to a friend of a friend.

Pravinash had alleged, among other things, that the chain of custody of the drugs had been affected as he was taken to Singapore Turf Club for eight minutes while the haversack with the drugs was with a CNB officer.
The judges dismissed this since Pravinash did not dispute that the drugs were in his possession. One of the drug blocks also contained Kamalnathan's DNA and Kamalnathan had already been arrested at the time, making the insinuation that the drugs were planted "extremely improbable", said the judges.
The Court of Appeal concluded that there was no basis to overturn the convictions of the three men or set their mandatory sentences aside.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

$3k fine for woman who pulled maid's arm before daughter allegedly kicked victim multiple times​

Hai Yulan was given the maximum fine of $3,000 after she pleaded guilty to one count of using criminal force on the maid.

PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

DEC 10, 2021

SINGAPORE - A mother-and-daughter pair pulled a maid's arms to try to drag her out of a Housing Board flat after the Myanmar national said that she wanted to stop working for the daughter's household.
The mother, Hai Yulan, also grabbed the maid's shoulders when the latter resisted.
A district court heard on Friday (Dec 10) that Hai's daughter, Bai Yihong, now 34, then rained blows on the maid.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Claire Poh said the victim cut her lips and bled when one of the tutor's kicks caused her to hit a wheelchair nearby.
The 31-year-old maid, whose name has been redacted from court documents, later alerted the police.
Following the incident in November last year, she now experiences heart palpitations when she hears sudden noises.

Hai, now 57, was on Friday given the maximum fine of $3,000 after she pleaded guilty to one count of using criminal force on the maid.
Bai was earlier charged with multiple counts of assault and her case is still pending.
Both women are Chinese nationals.
DPP Poh said the maid, who was hired by Bai's husband, started working in the family's Hougang flat on Nov 17, 2019.


She added: "During the time of her employment, the victim was unhappy as Bai had hit her on various occasions."
On Nov 5 last year, the maid had a stomachache and went to see a doctor.
Bai then told the helper to stay with Bai's in-laws in another flat as she was afraid that her son would also fall sick. The maid complied.

The next day, Hai and her daughter went to the in-laws' flat to fetch the maid home.
DPP Poh told the court: "The victim refused (to return home) and informed Bai that she did not want to work for her anymore. Bai started to scold the victim and accused her of stealing items from the house.
"Bai added that if the victim claimed that Bai had hit her, she should call the police. The victim started crying."
The maid said she wanted to call her agent. According to court documents, Bai then shouted at the victim, telling her to pack her belongings and "get lost".
The maid, who did not budge, asked her agent to come and get her.
Bai then pulled the victim by her arm with the intention to drag her out of the flat, said the DPP.
She also said: "When the victim refused to move, Bai pulled the victim's arm again... At this point, the accused joined Bai and pulled the other arm of the victim to drag her out of the (flat). The victim resisted.
"While at the door area, the accused grabbed the victim's shoulders with the intent of pulling her out of the (flat). The victim continued to resist."

The court heard that Bai started raining blows on the maid as Hai crouched over the crying victim and tried to push Bai away.
The attack stopped after the victim started bleeding. Hai also tried to calm the maid down.
Another maid inside the flat called the agent, who arrived soon after and accompanied the victim to lodge a police report.
For using criminal force on a maid, an offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $3,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Couple sent maid they hired illegally back home after authorities came knocking​

Samuel Devaraj

DEC 17, 2021


SINGAPORE - His family was barred by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) from hiring maids after his wife assaulted a domestic worker in 2014, but he circumvented the rules by getting a third party to do it for them.
When the authorities learnt of the ruse, Syed Mohamed Peeran Syed Ameer Hamza and his wife, Sabah Parveen, had the maid sent back to Indonesia.
Sabah, 37, and Syed, 41, were on Friday (Dec 17) convicted over their roles in intentionally obstructing the course of justice.
Syed was also convicted over false declarations made to get the maid to work for the family. The Singaporean was sentenced to 36 weeks' jail in total.
Sabah was sentenced to three days' jail.
The court heard that Sabah, an Indian national and Singapore permanent resident, was charged in 2014 with three counts of voluntarily causing hurt against her family's domestic worker.
Her household was then placed on an MOM blacklist, which temporarily barred them from hiring maids.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En told the court that in July 2018, Syed enlisted the help of Mr Suresh Murugaiyan to hire a maid.
Mr Suresh is a director of a company where Syed is a shareholder, and an employee in another company where Syed is a director.
Mr Suresh falsely indicated in MOM's online Work Pass System that he would be the employer of one Ms Aminah, a maid from Indonesia. She goes by one name.


But it was Syed's phone number and e-mail that were submitted in the application, so that the ministry would contact him when looking for the maid's employer.
The system then generated an in-principle approval.
On July 17, 2018, Ms Aminah arrived in Singapore and started working for the couple. They have two young children.
On Aug 9 that year, Mr Suresh falsely submitted Work Permit declaration forms, following Syed's persuasion, in order to get Ms Aminah a work pass.

The application was approved five days later.
After being paid for her first three months of work, Ms Aminah was not given her salary for at least two months.
On Jan 24, 2019, she shared her problems with a Filipina domestic helper, who gave her the number to the Centre for Domestic Employees.
The centre then related the information to MOM, which notified the police the same day.
Police officers visited the couple's home and indicated that someone had alerted MOM to a case of maid abuse.
DPP Chong said: "(Syed) insisted that there were no domestic workers in his employment at the material time, that there was no maid at the unit, and that the only persons staying at the unit were his family members."
In fact, Syed had instructed Ms Aminah to hide in the master bedroom ensuite.

After the officers left, he bought an air ticket for the maid and she left for Indonesia that very night.
Police and MOM learnt the next day that Mr Suresh was not in fact hiring Ms Aminah, and that she had been working at the couple's home.
They interviewed the couple the following day after which Syed attempted to leave Singapore but was stopped at the airport.
His lawyer Rachel Soh said her client had been based in Hong Kong when he hired the maid and did so as he was motivated by a "desire to provide support for his wife and children".
Sabah's lawyer Jeremy Pereira said his client was only aware that an offence had been committed when the police came knocking.
For intentionally obstructing the course of justice, the couple could have each been jailed for seven years, fined or both.
Syed could have been jailed for two years, fined $20,000 or both for getting Mr Suresh to furnish false information.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Reseller who bribed Foot Locker employee for insider info on latest sneaker releases fined $20,000​

Meng Fanxuan was fined $20,000 for a single charge of giving $5,681 as bribes. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Osmond Chia

Dec 23, 2021



SINGAPORE - On a hunt for the latest sneakers, a shoe reseller bribed a Foot Locker Singapore employee with around $5,700 over 22 occasions in exchange for confidential information on new releases and discounts.
Meng Fanxuan, 26, got an edge in the resale market as a result, and he made around $6,000 from selling these shoes.
The Singapore permanent resident, who was a full-time national serviceman at that time, was on Thursday (Dec 23) fined $20,000 for a single charge of giving $5,681 as bribes.
Another charge for a similar offence was taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court heard that Meng, a Chinese national who had been collecting sneakers since 2008, became a reseller in 2019 after he sold a pair of Nike sneakers and made $29,000 in profit.
After that success, he would seek out sneakers to sell, mostly to customers from China.
In August last year, Meng met Xavier Goh Yixuan, 30, at the Foot Locker outlet in Jewel Changi Airport and agreed to give him a cut of the profits made from reselling shoes in exchange for insider information on limited-run sneakers and shoes on discount.

The court heard that there would be online speculation on the official release date of limited-run sneaker models about three to six months before they are launched.
The sneaker brands would announce the date to the public only about two months before the launch.
But Foot Locker employees would know the actual dates that these models will arrive at the outlets, which is usually the day before they go on sale.


As such information is not known to customers, it would give those who knew a higher chance of buying rare sneakers and reselling them at a higher price, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amir.
Goh, who was fired in January, broke the confidentiality agreement between him and his employer. He sent e-mails from Foot Locker’s marketing department to Meng, to alert him when limited-run and discounted models were available.


The pair had this arrangement on 22 occasions from August 2020 to January this year. Meng gave bribes ranging between $50 and $710 to Goh.
He made profits of at least $6,000 from reselling these sneakers, said DPP Hidayat, who sought a fine of $20,000 to $40,000 to be imposed.
Meng told the court on Thursday that he was low on savings as he had just completed his national service. The judge allowed him to pay the fine in instalments over four months.
Meng is also said to have given $1,500 in bribes to another sneaker store employee, Muhammad Faiz Amy Jasman, 28, from AW Lab in Orchard Road to reserve limited-edition shoes for him on five occasions.
Both Goh and Faiz were charged with corruption in October. The duo, who are Singaporeans, will be dealt with at a later date.
In a statement in October, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said Goh had allegedly accepted $12,100 in bribes over 36 occasions from Meng and two other individuals.
CPIB said those who are convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to $100,000 and jailed for up to five years.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

S$800 fine for cyclist who spat on car windscreen after driver stopped past stop-line​

TODAY file photo

BY LOUISA TANG
Published December 22, 2021

SINGAPORE — A 54-year-old man was fined S$800 on Wednesday (Dec 22) for spitting on a car windscreen in a road rage incident.
Rozo Yorick Pierre Louis, a Singapore permanent resident from France, was cycling in the River Valley area when he grew angry and frustrated that the motorist had gone past the stop-line at a traffic junction.
He pleaded guilty to a single charge under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act of spitting in a public road.
The court heard that the incident happened on July 8 this year at about 9am. The driver had stopped at the junction of Irwell Bank Road and River Valley Road when the traffic light turned red.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Esther Wong told the court that because of the position of the car, he had inconvenienced pedestrians who were crossing the road.
While cycling home, Rozo rode on the pedestrian crossing and gestured at the driver to reverse his car when a female pedestrian was crossing as well.
When the motorist did not see the gesture and failed to reverse, Rozo spat on the car windscreen as he cycled past.
The incident was captured on an in-car camera and the footage was shared on citizen journalism site Stomp.
The prosecutor sought the fine imposed, acknowledging that Rozo had cooperated with the authorities and pleaded guilty.
However, she argued that this had happened during the Covid-19 pandemic when Rozo could have exposed pedestrians to the risk of an infectious disease.
Those in the car could also have been exposed upon leaving the vehicle and coming into close proximity with his saliva, DPP Wong added.
Rozo, who was not represented by a lawyer, did not have anything to say in mitigation.
First-time offenders who spit on a public road can be fined up to S$1,000 and repeat offenders can be fined up to double that amount.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for man who falsely stated cops had 'role to play' in purported theft of $8,000 cash​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

DEC 31, 2021

SINGAPORE - A man, who was woken up by the presence of two police officers in his home on Dec 12, later claimed that his monies totalling $8,000 had gone missing and that the pair "had a role to play" for their loss.
It turned out that he was never in possession of the amount in the first place.
Vinesh Kumar Ganesan, 33, maintained his lie to an investigation officer later that day.
The Malaysian finally admitted to the authorities on Dec 13 that he had lied.
Deputy Public Prosecutor R. Arvindren said: "He claimed that he was drunk, tired and frustrated for being woken up... which led to the false statements being given by the accused."
Separately, Vinesh also committed offences including riding a motorcycle while under the influence of alcohol and doing so without a licence.
On Friday (Dec 31), he was sentenced to four weeks' jail and a fine of $6,800.

He was disqualified from operating all classes of vehicles in Singapore for three years.
He pleaded guilty to four charges, including giving false information to a public servant and riding a motorcycle while under the influence of alcohol.
In the wee hours of Dec 12 this year, two police officers went to Vinesh's home, responding to a case of assault as his roommate had called for assistance.


Court documents do not disclose the address and details about the assault.
Vinesh was woken up by the pair's presence at around 3.30am.
The DPP said: "(He) was looking for his bag where he had kept his identification card but was unable to locate his bag.
"A while later, one of the two police officers found the said bag in another bedroom and handed it over to the accused. The accused checked his bag and told the two police officers that his cash amounting to $8,000 was missing."

About three hours later, Vinesh lodged a report at the Pasir Ris Neighbourhood Police Centre, alleging that either the two police officers or his roommate "had a role to play" in stealing the cash.
Following an investigation, he finally admitted to his lies the next day.
In an unrelated case, the court heard that he drank two cans of beer in Aliwal Street near Beach Road at around 6pm on Aug 11 this year, before he rode a friend's motorcycle to a Bussorah Street restaurant nearby.
A dispute later took place and the police were alerted.
The DPP said: "(A police officer) then interviewed the accused and he informed that he had wanted to look for a friend by the name of 'Dinesh' but the staff of the restaurant told him that 'Dinesh' was not working.
"While interviewing the accused, the (officer) observed the accused reeked of alcohol."

A breathalyser test was conducted on Vinesh and he failed it.
He was taken to the Police Cantonment Complex for another test and he was found to have 72 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
This was more than double the prescribed limit of 35mcg of alcohol in the same amount of breath.
For giving false information to a public servant, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Dental assistant who continued to steal after being given second chance jailed​

Charlene Ashby Clay took around $150,000 in total. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Osmond Chia

Jan 4, 2022

SINGAPORE - She was given a second chance to continue working as a dental assistant after her employer caught her embezzling money, but she continued to steal from the clinic's earnings.
Charlene Ashby Clay, 24, took around $150,000 in total and used the money for her personal expenses, such as buying property in her home country, Malaysia.
On Tuesday (Jan 4), Clay pleaded guilty to three charges for offences that include criminal breach of trust. She was jailed for 16 months and two weeks.
Another four charges for offences that include cheating and falsifying accounts were taken into consideration during the sentencing.
In March 2019, dentist Hsu Wei Cheng, the owner of Dr Smile Dental Clinic in Clementi Avenue 3, was alerted to a discrepancy in the clinic's earnings.
Based on the amount of money keyed in, $44,861 was missing from the system.
Dr Hsu, 36, confronted Clay, his dental assistant from 2018 to 2019, and she admitted she embezzled the money by stealing the cash paid by patients.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Lai said Clay would take the cash handed to her by the patient and key into the system that the money was paid electronically, which made it harder to verify the transaction immediately.
"Unless somebody checks the clinic's bank account where the monies collected using the Nets system are deposited into daily, the accused's act of misappropriating the cash will not be detected," he said.
Clay pleaded with Dr Hsu not to cancel her work permit. He gave her a chance and the pair agreed that $650 to $1,050 would be deducted from her monthly salary until the sum of $44,861 was paid in full.


But one year later, Dr Hsu caught signs that Clay had once again stolen money from the clinic. He asked a patient to make a payment of $200, but the patient told him she had already paid $3,700 for the entire operation.
This was against the clinic's policy to charge patients the cost of each procedure only after every visit, said DPP Lai.
Dr Hsu confronted Clay, who admitted she had continued to steal from the clinic.
This time, she had stolen $113,520 from the clinic by enticing patients to transfer the full payment for dental procedures to her via PayNow for a "discount".

She would then transfer small amounts back to the clinic's bank account as payment for the packages to avoid suspicion.
"(Clay) used the money she misappropriated on her own personal expenses, which include buying a property in Malaysia," said DPP Lai, who sought a jail term of 16 months and two weeks for Clay.
"The money she stole was substantial... Despite being caught and given a second chance, she continued under a different (mode of operations)," he said.
"The restitution (of around $12,300) was not out of guilt and remorse but more motivated out of continuing her job and not having to go home."
In her mitigation plea, Clay, who was unrepresented, asked for leniency and said she is a single mother who has a son to care for.
The Straits Times has contacted the clinic for comment.

Mr Azri Imran Tan and Mr Joshua Chow, lawyers from IRB Law who are not involved in the case, said victims of misappropriation of money can pursue a civil suit against the offender, but it can be challenging and costly to recover the stolen money if it has been spent, especially overseas.
It can be tough to determine what assets the offenders own and to get them to produce financial documents and cooperate throughout the civil proceedings, they added in response to ST queries.
Real estate overseas would require the cooperation of the foreign country to handle, said the lawyers.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Man jailed, fined for receiving money stolen by scammers and transferring it to Malaysian accounts​

Ong Wei Chyuan received six fund transfers amounting to $21,500 in his bank accounts. PHOTO: ST FILE
Osmond Chia

Jan 11, 2022


SINGAPORE - A Malaysian man received into his bank account money stolen from scam victims and transferred it to another bank account in Malaysia.
Ong Wei Chyuan, 29, on Monday (Jan 10) pleaded guilty to an offence of carrying on a business of providing payment services without a licence and was jailed seven weeks and fined $645.
Ong has worked in Singapore since 2017 in a printing firm, earning $1,600 a month, according to court documents.
On May 3 last year, he was contacted on Facebook and WhatsApp by an unknown person who identified himself as a Malaysian known as Ah Kang.
He asked Ong for help to remit money to Malaysia, to which Ong agreed.
Ong was asked to provide the details of his POSB account and his CIMB Singapore account to Ah Kang, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryont Chin.
Ong helped Ah Kang with the calculations for each payment and earned a commission each time he helped with the transactions.

He received six fund transfers amounting to $21,500 in his bank accounts and made six transfers totalling RM65,619 (S$21,154) to a bank account in Malaysia, which earned him $645 in commission.
Ah Kang told Ong that the money transferred to his Singapore accounts were from clients of his girlfriend's export business in Singapore.
On May 15, the police froze and seized Ong's Singapore bank accounts, prompting him to ask Ah Kang again about who had been transferring money into his account.


This time, Ah Kang said that one was his girlfriend's agent and another was his wholesaler.
Ong has since spent all the money he earned, said DPP Chin, adding that Ong did not have a licence to carry on a business of providing payment services.
The police later received reports from three scam victims, aged between 22 and 30 years old, who had lost between $2,000 and $5,000 on at least one occasion each.
None of the stolen money was recovered, said DPP Chin, who urged the judge for a sentence of eight to 10 weeks' jail and a $645 fine as deterrence.
DPP Chin said the amount involved was significant and posed difficulties for law enforcement as it was transferred overseas.


In a statement regarding Ong's case, the police cautioned the public that scammers are recruiting people to transfer stolen money on their behalf.
Scammers may advertise attractive jobs with good pay for relatively easy tasks such as facilitating bank transfers for them, said the police.
"Legitimate companies will not require you to utilise your personal bank account to receive money on their behalf," they said.
"You should reject requests to use your personal bank accounts to receive and transfer money for others."
Those who receive and transfer money linked to crimes may be investigated and charged for committing a criminal offence, said the police.
Those found guilty of carrying on a business of providing payment services without a licence can face a maximum sentence of three years' jail and fined $125,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for ex-director of firm who pocketed at least $598k in Ponzi scheme​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Jan 14, 2022

SINGAPORE - He was one of three directors of a firm that sold gold to more than 2,000 unsuspecting customers under a "buyback" arrangement, bringing in revenue totalling more than $120 million.
Wong Kwan Sing, 50, who was part of The Gold Label (TGL), pocketed at least $598,000 for himself.
But a district court heard on Friday (Jan 14) that TGL had perpetrated a Ponzi scheme.
Deputy public prosecutors Edwin Soh and Grace Teo stated in court documents: "This buyback scheme guaranteed the clients a return on their initial investment to purchase the gold, in addition to high payouts.
"Behind the scenes, TGL had no investments or profit-generating business to sustain such payouts. It simply depended on the money from new gold sales to satisfy the payment obligations to its older customers."
Over time, TGL did not have enough money to fulfil its obligations when they were due.


TGL's payout and buyback obligations to clients later came up to some $85 million, with the company having a fraction of the amount - about $450,000 - in its bank accounts.

Wong, a Malaysian, was on Friday sentenced to two years and 10 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to an offence under the Companies Act.
TGL was incorporated on April 28, 2009, and wound up in February 2011.
The cases involving another two of its former directors, Singaporean Iseli Rudolf James Maitland, 62, and Malaysian How Soo Feng, 47, are pending.

Wong became a director at TGL on Nov 20, 2009, before resigning on Sept 3, 2010.
The prosecutors said that the gold buyback scheme was the trio's brainchild.
Explaining how it worked, the DPPs said that TGL would enter a contract to sell gold bars to a client.

The bars would be sold at an average of 24 per cent above the prevailing gold market price.
During the contract, the client would receive payouts ranging from 3.5 per cent to 12 per cent of the TGL selling price, depending on the contract type and duration.
At the end of the contract, the client had the option to sell the gold bars back to TGL or keep the gold bars.
If the client exercised the sell-back option, TGL was obligated to buy back the gold bars at the price set at the point of purchase.
This meant that the client would get a full refund of the price paid for the gold bars in addition to the payouts.
The court heard that TGL also paid out "exorbitant" directors' fees, of which Wong collected at least $598,000.
The DPPs said that this gold buyback scheme was "inherently unprofitable".
"TGL was essentially a Ponzi scheme using sales generated from new contracts to fulfil its existing payment obligations and to foot its other expenses. By the time the accused ceased being a director... TGL did not have enough money to pay its obligations when they fell due."
TGL's pay-out and buy-back obligations to clients under these contracts later came up to around $85 million.

The DPPs told the court: "As TGL delivered actual gold to its clients, these clients would be able to mitigate their losses by selling the gold to the market.
"However, this was subject to the market price of gold at the time TGL's clients sold their gold bars - if they did sell. Investigations reveal that as at Oct 7, 2010, TGL's clients still stood to lose approximately $12 million from the unfulfilled contracts."
Wong had earlier failed to turn up in court on July 22, 2020, and absconded to Malaysia.
He was later caught and sent back to Singapore, where he decided to plead guilty.
Wong, who was unrepresented, told the court on Friday that he is now "penniless".
He has made no restitution.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

International school teacher gets 6 weeks' jail for assaulting cabby​

Shane Matthew Ross (pictured) was also ordered to pay Mr Gui Eng Chew compensation of $441. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Jan 20, 2022

SINGAPORE - An international school teacher pushed a cabby four times and kicked him twice during a scuffle at the taxi stand of Thomson Plaza shopping mall.
On Thursday (Jan 20), District Judge Soh Tze Bian convicted Shane Matthew Ross, 51, of one count of causing hurt to Mr Gui Eng Chew during the incident on Feb 14, 2019, and sentenced him to six weeks' jail after a trial.
He also ordered the Canadian, who teaches at the Australian International School (AIS), to pay Mr Gui compensation of $441.
AIS told The Straits Times in a statement on Thursday that Ross has been on an extended leave of absence.
It added: "We have just been informed of the court's decision regarding one of our teachers and we respect the verdict... We will be communicating directly the impact this will have on his future employment with the school."
ST understands that under the school's policies, teachers who are convicted in court and sent to jail can lose their jobs.
In delivering his verdict, Judge Soh found that Mr Gui was a "truthful and credible witness", unlike Ross.

He added that as a "well-educated person" who teaches in a school, Ross ought to know the "seriousness of the acts of violence".
Deputy Public Prosecutors Andre Chong and Koh Yi Wen stated in their submissions that on the day of the assault, a closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) captured Ross forcefully pushing Mr Gui four times and kicking him twice.
They added: "He does not dispute the accuracy of the CCTV recording, or the fact that he pushed and kicked (Mr Gui). It is also plain from his actions that he intended to cause hurt to the victim."


During the trial, Mr Gui testified that he picked up Ross and his son at the taxi stand of Thomson Plaza at around 5pm on Feb 14, 2019.
He drove off after Ross placed his belongings in the boot and got into the car. Ross then asked him to go to a particular condominium.
Mr Gui had earlier told Judge Soh that he did not know the way there as he could not "understand" the name of the property.
He added: "I asked for the postal code but could not find it on Google Maps."
When defence lawyer G. Dinagaran questioned him, Mr Gui denied that Ross had offered to direct him to the destination, and said: "He started to scold me."
Mr Gui also said that he felt frightened and drove back to the Thomson Plaza taxi stand in Upper Thomson Road.

The court heard that a dispute broke out between the two men soon after and Mr Gui stepped out of his taxi.
The prosecutors said in their submissions: "When the victim pointed his finger at the accused and asked the latter to alight from his taxi, the accused responded by pushing the victim's hand away before exiting the vehicle.
"The accused then pushed the victim two more times in the chest, causing the victim to take several steps back."
The DPPs also said that as Mr Gui walked to the boot of the taxi, Ross pushed him in the chest another time, causing the cabby to take a few steps back again.
The court heard that while Ross was reaching into the boot to remove his belongings, Mr Gui put his hand on the accused's upper arm.
The prosecutors told the court: "The accused responded by kicking the victim in his leg. As the accused and the victim were holding on to the accused's belongings, the accused kicked the victim once again."
According to the prosecutors, Ross tried to leave the scene by boarding another taxi with his son, but Mr Gui prevented it from leaving.
The Canadian and his son then left the premises on foot before the police arrived.

Ross had testified during an earlier court proceeding that he was "doing what was necessary to protect" his son, who has autism.
Ross also said that his son, who is not used to sudden changes, took three weeks to calm down after the incident.
The DPPs stated in their submissions: "Insofar as the defence asserts that the accused had acted in the exercise of his right to private defence, they bear the burden of proving this on a balance of probabilities. They have entirely failed to discharge this burden."
For assault, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

$7,300 fine for South Korean man who attacked 2 Singaporeans, swore at police​

Kim Eui Woong pleaded guilty to three charges for offences that include voluntarily causing hurt, and was fined $7,300. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Osmond Chia

Jan 21, 2022

SINGAPORE - Even when the South Korean man was interviewed by the police after he had got drunk and assaulted two Singaporeans in Clarke Quay, he swore at an officer and shouted at the victims.
On Friday (Jan 21), Kim Eui Woong, 36, who worked in a bank then, pleaded guilty to three charges for offences that include voluntarily causing hurt, and was fined $7,300.
Another two charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing.
On the evening of March 12, 2020, Kim drank two bottles of beer and a bottle of soju in a Korean restaurant. He consumed a bottle of whiskey at Club Illusion in Clarke Quay before he became drunk and left at around 3am.
When he saw two strangers - Mr Law Beng Chong, 47, and Ms Lim Seongyeon, 25 - he cursed at them and lunged towards them.
He pushed her onto the ground and punched the man twice in the face, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Sim.


The police arrived at around 3.15 am and noticed Kim was getting agitated as an officer spoke with the victims.

Kim kept inching towards the duo, refusing to cooperate with the officers, and took out his phone to film the incident.
He shouted repeatedly at the victims, cursed at an officer and said he would sue all of them.
Kim asked one of the officers for his card before walking off. He cursed at the officer and said thrice: "I want to go to prison."

Urging the judge to sentence Kim to a week in jail and a fine of $2,800, DPP Sim said in his submissions: "The manner of the attack was violent... It was unprovoked and one-sided."
He noted that there was no serious injury and that Kim paid compensation to the victims. The amount was not stated in court documents.
Defence lawyers Andre Jumabhoy and Elaine Low asked the judge to issue a fine of $5,000, adding that Kim had taken responsibility for his offence and stopped alcohol consumption.
"He planned to commence a start-up but it was floundered by the pandemic. Uncertain of the future, he went out and drank more than he ordinarily did," said Mr Jumabhoy, who added that Kim was married to a Singaporean for around four years and held a master's degree.

In a separate case, a British man headbutted a stranger in the nose at the now-defunct Kilo Lounge in Tanjong Pagar.
Tyson Wayne Plant, 33, was on Thursday (Jan 20) fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt. His job was not stated in court documents.
On Aug 18, 2018, he argued with unknown patrons after he drank with a friend in the nightclub, and one of them punched his face.
Singaporean Macaulay Nick Olinik, 30, stepped in to defuse the situation, but as he walked away, Plant headbutted him in the nose, fracturing it.
Mr Olinik fractured his hand after the incident, but this was not caused by Plant, noted DPP Keith Thirumaran, who left Plant's sentencing to the court.
He added that Plant had been fined in 2017 for drink driving.
Defence lawyer Yusfiyanto Yatiman said in mitigation that Plant acted out of anger as he was punched at first, but clarified that his client was not drunk.

Plant paid $12,000 to the victim last year to cover medical and transport bills and expenses linked to the fractured wrist, although it was not caused by him.
Handing him a fine of $5,000, the judge said: "I hope the accused understands that his own actions have caused injury and alcohol definitely played a part.
"(Alcohol) has caused you to come to court twice. If it causes you to do such things, you might want to reconsider consuming it at a public place."
Those who voluntarily cause hurt can be jailed up to three years and fined up to $5,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Woman who was part of unlawful CNY gathering amid the pandemic fined $3,000​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Jan 26, 2022

SINGAPORE - Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, a group of 15 merrymakers gathered in an office to celebrate Chinese New Year. The event was so noisy that a witness alerted the police in the wee hours of Feb 25 last year.
Due to safe-distancing measures, social gatherings were limited to eight people at the time of the incident.
One of the guests, Chinese national Sun Min Qian, 33, was fined $3,000 on Wednesday (Jan 26) after she pleaded guilty to a charge under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
Eleven others involved in the gathering have been dealt with earlier.
They are: Li Jia, 25;Lim Weitzien, 26;Xiao Jing, 29; Tey Zhi Yuan, 29;He Liuqiong, 30;Low Xiang Hua, 31;Ethan Tan, 31;Chua Li Jin, 32; Joseph Lim Si Swee, 33; Harold Tan Wei Jie, 35 and Ong Hui Siong, 39.
Ong, Ethan Tan, Tey, Low, Joseph Lim, Harold Tan and Chua are Singaporeans while Lim Weitzien is a Malaysian.
The three remaining offenders are Chinese nationals.

Ong, who was the registered tenant of the Pemimpin Driveoffice near Marymount Road, was given the stiffest fine of $12,000 while Joseph Lim and Lim Weitzien were each fined $6,000. The others were fined $3,000 each.
The cases involving three other Chinese nationals - Chen Yuanyuan, 28; Lin Xiaofeng, 33 and Shao Ruirui, 37 - are still pending.
The court heard on Wednesday that Chua was having dinner with Low and Ethan Tan on Feb 24 last year when he proposed a Chinese New Year gathering.


Chua then contacted Ong who suggested having itat the Pemimpin Drive office.
Guests later arrived at the premises where they drank alcohol, played games and sang karaoke.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Emily Koh said: "The group had met for a frivolous and completely unnecessary purpose... in blatant disregard of the social distancing measures that the rest of society has taken pains to comply with."
The noisy gathering caused a disturbance and a witness alerted the police in the early hours of Feb 25 last year.

Officers turned up at around 2.20am and heard loud music coming from the office.
They knocked on the door and the merrymaking ended after Ong opened it.
For each charge under the Act, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.
A repeat offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $20,000.