First two men convicted in billion-dollar money laundering case to be deported: ICA

SINGAPORE: The first two men convicted in Singapore’s largest money laundering case will be deported after their jail terms, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Thursday (Apr 4). 

The first man, Su Wenqiang, 32, was sentenced to 13 months' jail on Tuesday after admitting to 11 charges of money laundering, possessing proceeds from illegal remote gambling offences and lying to get work passes for himself and his wife.

The second man, Su Haijin was sentenced to 14 months' jail on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to three of 14 charges. These were for resisting lawful arrest and possessing around S$1.4 million (US$1.03 million) in criminal proceeds through a shell company.

The remaining charges, including money laundering, were taken into consideration for sentencing.

In response to CNA's queries, ICA said: "Foreigners convicted of offences in Singapore will be deported after serving their sentences and barred from re-entering Singapore.

"The location of deportation is dependent on the admissibility of the foreigner based on his/her valid passport."

Su Wenqiang is a Cambodian national whose passport states that he is from Fujian, China. Su Haijin is a Cypriot national.

In response to a CNA query on May 6, an ICA spokesperson said that Su Wenqiang had been deported to Cambodia that day along with Wang Baosen, another man linked to the S$3 billion money-laundering probe. Both men have been barred from re-entering Singapore.

Wang, a Chinese national, was sentenced to 13 months' jail for his involvement in the case on Apr 16.

All 10 who were arrested in relation to the case are of Chinese origin but have the nationalities and passports of countries like Cyprus and Cambodia. 

In total, more than S$3 billion in assets have been seized or frozen, likely making it one of the largest money laundering cases in the world. 

Police conducted simultaneous raids across Singapore in August last year. All 10 were arrested at their residences in areas such as Sentosa Cove, Tanglin, Orchard, Holland and River Valley.

The cases of the remaining seven accused are in the pre-trial conference stages. All have been remanded as they were denied bail.

The police are also looking for two more suspects – Cambodian nationals Su Yongcan and Wang Huoqiang – who left Singapore before the raids.