'I had the best sleep of my life': Three Arrows co-founder finds 3 months in Singapore prison 'enjoyable'

Prison life is a dread to most, but apparently not to Zhu Su. 

The co-founder of the currently defunct cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital recently described his prison time in Singapore as "an enjoyable experience overall".

Speaking to his fellow co-founder Kyle Davis in a podcast, Zhu reflected on his time in prison, and gave a glimpse of what his life behind bars was like. 

Zhu was arrested at Changi Airport in September 2023 under a committal order after Three Arrows Capital collapsed. 

A committal order is a mandate for a person involved in a lawsuit to comply with orders made against them within a specified timeframe. Failure to do so may result in being jailed.

He was sentenced to four months in prison, but was placed on home detention in November 2023 for good behaviour. 

Zhu was released on December 20, 2023. 

Both Zhu and Davis were banned by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from participating in regulated capital market activities for nine years last September.

Prison provided a sense of 'belonging': Zhu

Clips from Zhu's podcast were posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Jan 22. 

Reflecting on his time behind bars, Zhu said: "Not to the point of, like, highly recommending it per se. It's something that if everyone got to experience once, I think it's definitely good for you." 

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He added that prison "provides a sense of structure and belonging" which the real world often does not for some people.

Zhu recounted how he spent his time in prison reading and getting plenty of exercise.

"You have an insane amount of time to read, basically and you can do all the push-ups you want," he said. 

There was also no access to the internet, alcohol or caffeine.

On top of that, he was also given three daily meals and servings of fruits every few hours.

Zhu told Davies that he had "the best sleep of his life" in prison thanks to mandatory lights-off from 9.30pm to 5.30am. 

Although he was made to sleep on the ground, Zhu felt that it helped to decompress his spine. 

"The first few days you have to put a shirt under your joints, but eventually you adjust to it completely," he said, comparing it to a Japanese tatami mat. 

"It's a really magical feeling, you almost feel a kinship with your ancestors."

Zhu also said that he developed a "high sense of empathy" while in prison due to the deep connections he made with his cellmates. 

He explained that his cellmates gave him some of the best advice he has gotten as they could see him as a normal person and spoke to him in a sincere manner.

Zhu's statements generated significant online buzz in several countries including Singapore, China and the US, Today reported.

Zhu's interview clips have garnered more than 13,400 engagements, based on data from social media monitoring tool Digimind.

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Netizens had varying views regarding Zhu's take on doing prison time.

One X user agreed with Zhu and said: "When Covid-19 started, I was trapped in a hostel in South America for a few weeks. It was kind of a similar experience. The loss of options brings liberation, as it confronts you with the basics. Makes you more focused."

On the other hand, another user was amused by Zhu's words.

"This is the craziest level of coping I have ever in my life seen, can’t stop laughing," the user said.

Zhu has "closed the chapter" on Three Arrows since his release to focus on OPNX, his crypto exchange company now based in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post said.

Three Arrows Capital was once one of the largest crypto hedge funds in the world. It imploded in June 2022 after a series of leveraged investments blew up. 

ALSO READ: 'I dropped the soap a couple of times': Titus Low breaks down prison life, shares touching prison letter to wife Cheryl Chin

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com