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Singapore Seeks to Detain Soccer-Fixing Suspects Without Trial
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Singaporean authorities are seeking to detain four suspected soccer match-fixers for up to a year without bringing them to trial, the government said Wednesday.
By Chun Han Wong
SINGAPORE—Singaporean authorities are seeking to detain four suspected soccer match-fixers for up to a year without bringing them to trial, the government said Wednesday, following a crackdown last month on sports corruption in this Southeast Asian financial center.
The four unnamed suspects are allegedly members of a Singapore-based syndicate thought to have fixed more than 100 matches across the world, and include the suspected ringleader, Dan Tan Seet Eng, two persons with knowledge of the investigation said.
Mr. Tan—the alleged syndicate leader—has denied being a match-fixer in a 2011 newspaper interview.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said it had issued “detention orders” for four persons and a “police supervision order” for a fifth unnamed suspect for their alleged “involvement in global football match-fixing.” A supervision order places a suspect under police scrutiny for up to three years, during which the person must report to police at regular intervals and must seek permission before leaving the country.
The five suspects haven’t been charged with any wrongdoing.
These orders—subject to review by legal experts and final approval by Singapore’s president—were issued under a tough domestic security law first designed in the 1950s to deal with organized criminal gangs. The Home Affairs Ministry issued the orders because prosecutors haven’t been able to convince witnesses to testify in person against the suspects, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation.
The five suspects, who have been given legal counsel, were among 14 people arrested last month by Singaporean authorities for alleged involvement in match-fixing. The remaining nine have been released on bail but remain under investigation for suspected corruption, a Home Affairs Ministry spokesman said.
Officials have declined to identify the 14 persons—who include 12 men and two women aged 38 to 60—or disclose their nationalities, citing ongoing investigations.
None of them could be reached for comment.
Mr. Tan, a 49-year-old Singaporean, is also wanted by Italian and Hungarian prosecutors for alleged match fixing. Singaporean police have been questioning him since as early as February, according to police statements at the time.
Investigators believe that Mr. Tan headed up a loose, entrepreneurial group of alleged match-fixers and runners that counted in the tens of people operating globally, allegedly running scams that were worth millions of dollars, according to a person with knowledge of the case.
Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble, chief of the international police-coordinating agency, last month described the Singapore-based crime ring as “the world’s largest and most aggressive match-fixing syndicate with tentacles reaching every continent.”
Singapore, consistently ranked as one of the world’s least-corrupt countries, cracked down on the alleged crime ring after allegations from European police forces brought international scrutiny on the city-state as a perceived global hub for the fixing of soccer matches.
On its part, Singapore police have said they are committed to tackling corruption in the sport and would pursue such cases vigorously. A person with knowledge of Singapore’s investigations said police had been investigating the group since 2011, but held off from making arrests until they had gathered sufficient evidence.
Interpol said it had facilitated Singapore’s investigations by arranging meetings between Singaporean and European investigators in March to share and review evidence.
Allegations against Mr. Tan and his alleged syndicate emerged in 2011, when a German magazine and Italian prosecutors named him as a suspected match fixer. Further accusations came in February, when Europol, a coordinating group for European police forces, said it had found evidence suggesting that 680 soccer matches across the world may have been fixed. The European agency said it believed that some 425 people across 15 countries were allegedly involved, including a Singapore-based group thought to be led by Mr. Tan, according to a Europol official.
Upon issuing detention orders, the Home Affairs Ministry has up to 28 days to present evidence against the suspects and justify its case before an independent panel, comprising former judges and experienced lawyers in private practice.
The panel would then make its recommendations to the president, who may—on the advice of the cabinet—decide to ratify, cancel or change the orders. The orders are valid for up to one year, but the president can approve extensions of up to 12 months. There is no limit to the number of extensions.
It isn’t clear for how long authorities intend to hold Mr. Tan and the three other suspects. A person with knowledge of the case said that prosecutors may in the future decide to bring charges against the suspects, if witnesses could be persuaded to testify in open court.
Singapore Seeks to Detain Soccer-Fixing Suspects Without Trial
Permalink
Expand/Collapse
Singaporean authorities are seeking to detain four suspected soccer match-fixers for up to a year without bringing them to trial, the government said Wednesday.
By Chun Han Wong
SINGAPORE—Singaporean authorities are seeking to detain four suspected soccer match-fixers for up to a year without bringing them to trial, the government said Wednesday, following a crackdown last month on sports corruption in this Southeast Asian financial center.
The four unnamed suspects are allegedly members of a Singapore-based syndicate thought to have fixed more than 100 matches across the world, and include the suspected ringleader, Dan Tan Seet Eng, two persons with knowledge of the investigation said.
Mr. Tan—the alleged syndicate leader—has denied being a match-fixer in a 2011 newspaper interview.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said it had issued “detention orders” for four persons and a “police supervision order” for a fifth unnamed suspect for their alleged “involvement in global football match-fixing.” A supervision order places a suspect under police scrutiny for up to three years, during which the person must report to police at regular intervals and must seek permission before leaving the country.
The five suspects haven’t been charged with any wrongdoing.
These orders—subject to review by legal experts and final approval by Singapore’s president—were issued under a tough domestic security law first designed in the 1950s to deal with organized criminal gangs. The Home Affairs Ministry issued the orders because prosecutors haven’t been able to convince witnesses to testify in person against the suspects, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation.
The five suspects, who have been given legal counsel, were among 14 people arrested last month by Singaporean authorities for alleged involvement in match-fixing. The remaining nine have been released on bail but remain under investigation for suspected corruption, a Home Affairs Ministry spokesman said.
Officials have declined to identify the 14 persons—who include 12 men and two women aged 38 to 60—or disclose their nationalities, citing ongoing investigations.
None of them could be reached for comment.
Mr. Tan, a 49-year-old Singaporean, is also wanted by Italian and Hungarian prosecutors for alleged match fixing. Singaporean police have been questioning him since as early as February, according to police statements at the time.
Investigators believe that Mr. Tan headed up a loose, entrepreneurial group of alleged match-fixers and runners that counted in the tens of people operating globally, allegedly running scams that were worth millions of dollars, according to a person with knowledge of the case.
Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble, chief of the international police-coordinating agency, last month described the Singapore-based crime ring as “the world’s largest and most aggressive match-fixing syndicate with tentacles reaching every continent.”
Singapore, consistently ranked as one of the world’s least-corrupt countries, cracked down on the alleged crime ring after allegations from European police forces brought international scrutiny on the city-state as a perceived global hub for the fixing of soccer matches.
On its part, Singapore police have said they are committed to tackling corruption in the sport and would pursue such cases vigorously. A person with knowledge of Singapore’s investigations said police had been investigating the group since 2011, but held off from making arrests until they had gathered sufficient evidence.
Interpol said it had facilitated Singapore’s investigations by arranging meetings between Singaporean and European investigators in March to share and review evidence.
Allegations against Mr. Tan and his alleged syndicate emerged in 2011, when a German magazine and Italian prosecutors named him as a suspected match fixer. Further accusations came in February, when Europol, a coordinating group for European police forces, said it had found evidence suggesting that 680 soccer matches across the world may have been fixed. The European agency said it believed that some 425 people across 15 countries were allegedly involved, including a Singapore-based group thought to be led by Mr. Tan, according to a Europol official.
Upon issuing detention orders, the Home Affairs Ministry has up to 28 days to present evidence against the suspects and justify its case before an independent panel, comprising former judges and experienced lawyers in private practice.
The panel would then make its recommendations to the president, who may—on the advice of the cabinet—decide to ratify, cancel or change the orders. The orders are valid for up to one year, but the president can approve extensions of up to 12 months. There is no limit to the number of extensions.
It isn’t clear for how long authorities intend to hold Mr. Tan and the three other suspects. A person with knowledge of the case said that prosecutors may in the future decide to bring charges against the suspects, if witnesses could be persuaded to testify in open court.
