RIP: Sinkie businessman Fatty Loo died in Guangzhou

[Rogue Trader]

Businessman 'Fatty Loo' found dead in China

AsiaOne
Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011

Singaporean businessman and lawyer, Loo Choon Beng was found dead in Guangzhou, China earlier this month.

Sources told The Straits Times that the 57-year-old was found in his hotel room bed on August 3 or August 4.

The former student of Raffles Institution (RI) is speculated to have either died in his sleep or from complications from health problems, including diabetes and high cholesterol.

Mr Loo, who won a gold medal in judo in the 1975 South-east Asia Peninsula (Seap) Games, was reportedly behind the first high-tech baccarat casino scam in the Philippines.

Asian media reported that he and three others had allegedly used hidden cameras to cheat at baccarat games in three casinos run by state-gaming firm - Philippine Amusement and gaming Corp (Pagcor).

They cheated the firm of about 160 million pesos (S$4.5 million) in May this year.

The three were arrested and detained but fled the country after posting bail.

The funeral is believed to have been attended only by very close friends and a few family members.

Background on Loo Choon Beng
Mr Loo was well known in horse-riding circles in Singapore as 'Fatty Loo' because of his physique.

In the 1980s he owned more than 50 horses and was a familiar figure at race meetings in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang.

In 2000, the divorcee and father of two daughters was held under Malaysia's preventive detention laws for his alleged involvement in fixing the outcome of horse races at Malaysian turf clubs.

1988
Allegedly spat in a Singapore Airlines stewardess' face, after she accidentally spilt a soft drink on him during a flight from Hong Kong to Singapore

Accused of grabbing her arm, turning her around violently and raising his arm and threatening to slap her

The case was settled out of court

1995
Suspended from legal practice for three years for misconduct

1996
OCBC Bank filed a suit against him and a fellow lawyer for an $80.6 million loan which they failed to repay

Sued by OCBC for not paying back a $4.5 million personal loan

2001
OCBC moved to declare him a bankrupt

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[streetsmart73]

hi there


1. such high profile may not be die of some natural cause leh!
2. in chiney, anything can happen anywhere.

 

[Devil Within]

Businessman 'Fatty Loo' found dead in China

AsiaOne
Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011

Singaporean businessman and lawyer, Loo Choon Beng was found dead in Guangzhou, China earlier this month.

Sources told The Straits Times that the 57-year-old was found in his hotel room bed on August 3 or August 4.

The former student of Raffles Institution (RI) ....

Another bigger crook from RI is LKY. Still very healthy and running.

 

[johnny333]

Another bigger crook from RI is LKY. Still very healthy and running.

He'll probably die peacefully in his bed.
Some crooks do get away You actually have to admire him for that:o

 

[BCR101]

>

Suspect dead, but Manila still after loot
[2011] 02 Sep_ST



Title: Suspect dead, but Manila still after loot
Source: Straits Times
Author: Elizabeth Soh



Legal News Archive


THEIR prime suspect is dead, but prosecutors from the Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corp (Pagcor) said they will still try to recover the $4.5 million that Singaporean businessman Loo Choon Beng and his accomplices had cheated three state-owned casinos of.

This comes as the country's House of Representatives yesterday announced an investigation into Pagcor itself, on allegations that some of its officials had aided Loo in the scam.

In fact, lawmakers say the actual amount Loo got away with is $25 million, more than five times the sum claimed by Pagcor when it charged Loo and his three accomplices with syndicate gambling in May this year.

The original charge was a non-bailable offence, but this was later reduced to illegal gambling, which allowed the four to post bail. They did, and promptly fled to Macau using fake passports. Loo, 58, later died in his sleep early last month at a hotel room in Guangzhou.

The Philippine Star newspaper quoted Senator Milagros Magsaysay as saying further investigations had revealed that Loo, a high-roller who was known to place bets of up to $100,000 each time at casino tables, had bribed Pagcor officials at lavish parties in his upscale condominium in Makati City, Manila.

Senator Magsaysay told the House that Loo's Filipino-Chinese girlfriend Maria Zerra Hao and trusted aide Redin Capilan would give out balato, a portion of Loo's ill-gotten gains from cheating at baccarat, to Pagcor officials in return for them overlooking his gambling scam.

Departure orders preventing the two from leaving the country have since been issued by the prosecutor's office, but both are believed to have gone into hiding in the Philippines.

When The Straits Times contacted Pagcor yesterday, its spokesman declined to comment on the inquiry into the state gaming company, saying instead that its intention was to push forward with charges against Loo's three accomplices over their role in the scam. Two of the three have Malaysian passports, and the third, a Chinese passport, but it is believed these are fake documents too.

He said Loo had played at Pagcor casinos for six years and had received VIP treatment - winning and losing extravagant sums of money each time.

He had moved to the Philippines about six years ago, after several brushes with the law in Singapore and abroad. The former lawyer also owned race horses and property. Loo stopped practising law here in 1995 after he was suspended for malpractice.

He had made news here when he was 22, when he won a gold medal in judo in the 1975 South-east Asian Peninsular Games.

Loo's high-technology scam, the first of its kind in the Philippines, involved one accomplice, Chiang Kit Mang, hiding a miniature camera under a sleeve to record the value and suit of each card as he cut and shuffled the cards.

He then left the table on the pretext of going to the toilet. He would then call another accomplice at the table, Zheng Qianghua, who was wearing a cellphone earpiece and sitting beside Loo, to tell Zheng the arrangement of the cards. Zheng then relayed this to Loo. A fourth man, Chian Keok Hwa, was the lookout.

This scam is said be popular with gambling syndicates in Las Vegas and Macau, but so far has not surfaced in Singapore.

When asked if casinos here took any specific precautions to prevent such scams, a Resorts World Sentosa spokesman said it has tight surveillance systems on the ground, and security personnel who are always on the lookout.

 

[Papsmearer]

If people really think he died in his sleep, they should buy land in Tekong. My bet is either a hit squad hired by one of his enemies killed him and made it look like natural causes, or a faked death. Easy enough to do in China if you have enough money to bribe a govt. official to issue a death cert. saying its you.

 

[GoldenDragon]

If people really think he died in his sleep, they should buy land in Tekong. My bet is either a hit squad hired by one of his enemies killed him and made it look like natural causes, or a faked death. Easy enough to do in China if you have enough money to bribe a govt. official to issue a death cert. saying its you.

Agree. He is highly likely to have offended and/or conned some 'power' chap. His death was 'prepared'. While Fat Loo always gave way to 'fierce' people, my hunch is that he took the risk. Fat Loo will not have second thoughts to cheat his own mum. That's him. RIP.

 

[hairylee]

In pursuit of fortune at all cost.
Better to paint oneself white and join PAP.

 

[jbsmith]

Possible that he faked his dealth?

 

[LeMans2011]

Faked death.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

Wow from RI but look at his list. Seems like he made cheating others his way of life.

 

[Papsmearer]

Wow from RI but look at his list. Seems like he made cheating others his way of life.

Just like Kuan Yew mah, another RI cheater. In fact, their old boys list is a whos who of cheaters including Wooden Goh, Jayakumar, Kuok, etc.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

Just like Kuan Yew mah, another RI cheater. In fact, their old boys list is a whos who of cheaters including Wooden Goh, Jayakumar, Kuok, etc.

LKY not sued by anyone and declared bankrupt. Seems like this guy really hit the end of the rd. How did he end up like this?