2 men convicted in $3b money laundering case deported to Cambodia, barred from re-entering Singapore

SINGAPORE - Two men convicted in Singapore's largest money laundering case were deported to Cambodia on Monday (May 6).

Su Wenqiang and Wang Baosen, both 32, will be barred from re-entering Singapore, an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) spokesman said on May 6.

They are among 10 foreigners arrested in a money laundering probe in August 2023 that saw more than $3 billion in cash and assets seized.

ICA had said in April that the "location of deportation (of the convicts) is dependent on the admissibility of the foreigner based on his or her valid passport".

Su, a Cambodian national, was sentenced to 13 months' jail on April 2 after pleading guilty to two charges of money laundering.

He admitted to possessing more than $600,000 in cash - benefits from unlawful remote gambling offences - and the use of $500,000 in criminal benefits to buy a Mercedes-Benz car.

Another nine charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Wang, who obtained Cambodian citizenship in 2020 and also owns passports from China and Vanuatu, was sentenced to 13 months' jail on April 16 after pleading guilty to two charges of money laundering.

He faced eight charges in total.

He admitted lying to HSBC about the source of his funds, and to the Ministry of Manpower about his employment in Singapore.

Su was apprehended in a good class bungalow in Lewis Road in Bukit Timah in August 2023 when the police conducted islandwide raids at luxury homes across Singapore.

Investigations found that Su took part in online gambling activities in 2019 while he was living in Manila, in the Philippines. Through these, he was roped into working for an illegal remote gambling business based in the Philippines that targeted people in China.

Among other duties, he managed the staff who maintained the website that allowed customers to place bets through their mobile phones.

He shared in the profits the syndicate made every month.

In 2021, he moved to Singapore as his wife wanted their two young children to study here. While in Singapore, he continued to work for the gambling business.

As for Wang, the court heard in April that he had submitted a forged loan agreement to HSBC in relation to $600,000 he deposited into his wife's bank account in January 2023.

Wang also could not account for the over $1.4 million that he used to pay for 10 per cent of the purchase price of a luxury condominium unit in Orchard in March 2022.

The other three people dealt with in this case so far are Su Haijin, Su Baolin and Zhang Ruijin.

Cypriot national Su Haijin, 41, who had jumped from the second-floor balcony of a good class bungalow during a police raid, was sentenced to 14 months' jail on April 4. He faced 14 charges and forfeited assets worth around $165 million to the state.

Cambodian national Su Baolin, 42, was sentenced to 14 months' jail on April 29. He faced 13 charges and forfeited about $65 million.

Chinese national Zhang Ruijin, 45, was sentenced to 15 months' jail on April 30. He faced eight charges and forfeited around $118 million.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

ALSO READ: Fourth man in $3b money-laundering case sentenced to 14 months' jail