Singaporean couple linked to US$51 million fraud case arrested in Malaysia after 19 years on the run

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man and his wife were arrested in Malaysia on Tuesday (Dec 3) in connection to a fraud case involving over US$51 million after being on the run for 19 years.

Ng Teck Lee, the then-CEO of electronics recycling firm Citiraya Industries, and his wife, Thor Chwee Hwa, were handed over to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the same day.

In a press release on Wednesday, CPIB said Ng, 58, had left Singapore in 2005 with Thor, 55, when investigations started.

"Various efforts were made by the authorities to locate Ng in connection with CPIB’s investigations," it added, noting that an immigration stoplist and police gazette were issued, as well as Interpol red notices and warrants for arrest.

Ng and Thor were each given one holding charge in the State Courts on Wednesday afternoon.

Ng, also named as Ong Jimmy King Lang in court records, was read one charge of committing criminal breach of trust in January 2005.

He is accused of giving instructions to certain Citiraya employees not to crush electronic scrap that was entrusted to him as CEO and president of the company, but to repackage and export the scrap instead.

He allegedly did this in respect of about 1,636kg of electronic scrap from Texas Instruments, 2,918kg from Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific, 876kg from ChipPac Malaysia, 152kg from Singapore Technologies Microelectronics and 1,209kg from RF Micro Devices (Beijing).

Thor was read one charge of assisting Ng to retain the benefits of criminal conduct on or about Jun 30, 2003.

She allegedly arranged with her husband to open a Credit Suisse Hong Kong branch account in her name, knowing that the account would be used to retain the benefits from his suspected criminal conduct.

About S$1.1 million was transferred into the account on or around Jul 10, 2003, the charge sheet stated.

The couple were ordered to be held in remand for one week for investigations, after a request made by Deputy Public Prosecutor Hon Yi.

Ng and Thor appeared together through video-link from their place of remand, wearing black T-shirts and with their hands cuffed.

Speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, Ng answered yes when asked if he understood the prosecution's application for remand, while Thor had to be prompted for her response.

Their next court mention will be on Dec 11.

CPIB director of investigations Vincent Lim said: "The successful arrest of the two Singaporean fugitives involved in this significant corruption case after almost two decades attests to the long-standing ties and close cooperation between CPIB and MACC.

"There is zero-tolerance and no safe haven for those who choose to break our laws by engaging in corrupt or criminal activities."

Mr Lim added that CPIB will spare no effort to track fugitives down wherever they may hide and bring them to face justice in Singapore, and that investigations are ongoing.

CITIRAYA CASE

In a High Court judgment released in 2011, Citiraya was involved in the business of recycling and recovering precious metals from electronic scrap.

According to an affidavit filed by a CPIB officer in 2008, Ng was entrusted with electronic scrap sent to Citiraya by its customers for destruction.

But Ng, with the help of his brother, who was Citiraya's general manager, allegedly misappropriated a portion of the electronic scrap that had been sent for destruction by the chip manufacturers in 2003 and 2004.

Some of the scrap was instead repacked and sold to buyers in Hong Kong and Taiwan for about US$51.2 million, with the funds transferred to three bank accounts in Hong Kong.

A court order was made in 2011 to seize some of Ng's assets, including the funds in his First Commercial Bank accounts, as well as the proceeds from the sale of bungalows in Binjai Park and Paya Lebar Crescent.