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Navy storeman acquitted of aiding loan shark
He opened bank accounts for man; psychiatrists say he could be easily exploited
Published on Mar 23, 2012
By Khushwant Singh
A district court on Thursday acquitted a navy sergeant of letting an unlicensed moneylender use two of his bank accounts for illegal activities.
Under the law, so long as there is proof that a bank account or ATM card has been used for illegal moneylending, its holder is presumed guilty of assisting in a loan shark's business 'until the contrary is proved'.
In this case, the defence team did just that - proved the contrary - and successfully checked the presumption of guilt that the prosecution had relied on in its case against Sergeant Aylwin.
After hearing the verdict, the 29-year-old navy storeman, who goes by only one name, fainted, crumpling to a heap as he left the dock. But he came round soon after.
Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
