$2.8b money laundering case: Su Wenqiang is a China fugitive

SINGAPORE — One of the 10 people accused in Singapore's largest money laundering case was not just a foreigner when he came to Singapore in 2021.

He was a fugitive on the run from the Chinese authorities, said the prosecution on Thursday (Nov 2).

This was revealed at the bail review for Cambodian national Su Wenqiang, 31. His application for bail was denied.

In arguing for his client to be released on bail, Su's lawyer Sameer Amir Melber said Su came to Singapore in 2021 with his wife and children, aged five and six, as he wanted his children to be educated here.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor Edwin Soh said: "The fact that his children study in Singapore is clearly insufficient to show that he is not a flight risk.

"The accused is not just a foreigner who came to Singapore in 2021. He is also a wanted fugitive who is currently evading Chinese authorities. He is currently on the run (from the authorities in China)."

Su, who was arrested at a good class bungalow in Bukit Timah on Aug 15, faces two money laundering charges.

He was charged on Aug 16 with allegedly possessing $601,706, which represents his benefits from criminal conduct.

He was handed another charge on Aug 30 for allegedly buying a Mercedes-Benz car using $500,000 that was allegedly his benefit from providing an unlawful remote gambling service based in the Philippines for people in China.

On Thursday, Sameer told the court his client had said all gambling services that took place in the Philippines were approved by the authorities there.

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He added that the remote gambling services were not facilitated in Singapore and no one here had used these services.

Su appeared via video link in a white shirt and kept his head down during proceedings.

At the hearing on Aug 30, he had said in Mandarin that he was on the verge of a mental breakdown and requested that the court grant him bail.

In denying Su bail on Thursday, District Judge Brenda Tan noted he was neither a Singapore citizen nor a permanent resident here.

She said: "He owns passports from Cambodia, China and Vanuatu. He did not dispute that he was able to obtain his passports from Cambodia and Vanuatu with ease even though he had never been to those countries."

She added that Su's parents reside in China and his family members are foreigners, thus clearly showing he has no deep roots in or strong connection to Singapore.

Judge Tan added: "Moreover, he is a fugitive who has been on the run. Su would thus have the motive and incentive to relocate and flee again."

She noted that he has accomplices at large who may assist him in absconding. 

The anti-money laundering operation on Aug 15 involved more than 400 police officers and saw raids at properties in areas such as Tanglin, Bukit Timah, Orchard Road, Sentosa and River Valley.

Ten foreigners, all originally from China, were charged the next day with various offences, including money laundering, forgery and resisting arrest.

The authorities have since taken control of more than $2.8 billion worth of assets, including 152 properties and 62 vehicles with an estimated value of more than $1.24 billion.

The assets also include money in bank accounts amounting to more than $1.45 billion, and cash in various currencies worth more than $76 million.

Thousands of bottles of liquor and wine, cryptocurrency worth more than $38 million, 68 gold bars, 294 luxury bags, 164 branded watches and 546 pieces of jewellery were also seized.

It is Singapore's biggest money laundering case and said to be one of the world's largest.

Su's case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Dec 14.

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