Jail for 3 men who worked in Good Class Bungalow rented as 'clubhouse' for S$58,000 a month

SINGAPORE: Three men conspired with others to run a rented Good Class Bungalow (GCB) as a clubhouse along Victoria Park Road in Bukit Timah.

Cambodian Su Wenhui, 44, Chinese national Su Zhentan, 40, and Singaporean Wu Pengfei, 35, each took up roles in the makeshift-clubhouse operation, which was against rules that the GCB only be used as a private residence. 

The three conspired with property agent Koh Hui Ming and Wu Guojing, a 33-year-old Cambodian, to run the scheme. The latter left Singapore in July 2023 and is at large.

Koh, a Malaysian and Singapore permanent resident, has been charged and her case is pending before the courts.

Wenhui was given four months' jail, while Pengfei and Zhentan received two months' jail each on Monday (May 26), after each pleaded guilty to their respective charges. 

Wenhui pleaded guilty to one count of cheating and one count of moving more than S$20,000 (US$15,600) out of Singapore without accounting for it to an authorised officer. One count of working at the clubhouse without a valid work pass was taken into consideration for his sentencing.

At the time of the offences, Wenhui had an employment pass registered under SG Eastcode, of which Guojing was the director and shareholder. However, Wenhui did not do any work for SG Eastcode.  

Pengfei and Zhentan each pleaded guilty to one count of cheating. 

Zhentan also had an additional charge of working without a valid work permit considered for his sentencing. At the material time, Zhentan had a work permit registered to Wingo Ecommerce, but he never worked for it. 

ROLES OF THE ACCUSED

Guojing was the overall operator and financier of the "clubhouse", which was for his friends and business associates. 

Those who stayed there could gamble and use its facilities, including a swimming pool and a pool table. 

Guojing would settle the salaries of "staff" at the clubhouse, its operation costs and its monthly rental of S$58,000. The source of his wealth is unknown, according to court documents. 

Wenhui, Guojing's trusted associate, was the clubhouse manager who oversaw its daily operations. In exchange, Guojing gave him money and paid his monthly rental of S$30,000 for a property located along Watten Estate Road, the purchase of cars and other expenses. 

Zhentan was the chef and treasurer who worked exclusively at the illegal clubhouse, earning 18,000 yuan (US$2,500) a month.

As treasurer, he would keep track of expenditures and request cash when needed. A sum of between S$50,000 and S$100,000 would be handed to Zhentan every five to ten days. While he suspected the money was from illegal sources, Zhentan never questioned its source. 

Pengfei was one of the four drivers who would chauffeur guests, earning S$5,500 a month. He, too, did not question the source of the funds for the clubhouse. 

Apart from these men, two coaches provided pool and golf lessons, two masseurs provided massage services and two foreign domestic helpers also worked at the GCB. 

HOW THE CLUBHOUSE CAME ABOUT

Around February 2023, Guojing and Wenhui engaged Koh as their property agent to rent a residence to use as a clubhouse.

The duo eventually rented another unit at Garlick Avenue for S$125,000 a month. 

Pengfei and Zhentan were hired to work at this property in July 2023. 

In February 2024, Guojing decided to move the clubhouse operations to a place with cheaper rent, and Koh was called on to source a suitable place. 

She found the Victoria Park Road property, which was registered under Victoria Park Trust and up for rent. 

Wenhui viewed the property and directed that it be rented under Pengfei's name, under the pretext that Pengfei wanted his family to reside in it. 

As Pengfei was Singaporean, he would be less likely to arouse suspicion, Wenhui thought. 

Koh initially faced difficult queries from one of the two property agents managing the rental listing for the GCB, including queries on Pengfei's background and occupation. 

Koh then decided to approach the second property agent instead. She lied that Pengfei was a business owner of a food and beverage company and that he would reside there with his wife and child. 

Koh made a profit of S$26,000 in commission from brokering the rental agreement, which she used to pay a deposit for a condominium unit in Pasir Ris. 

INVESTIGATIONS 

On Aug 17, 2023, Wenhui was stopped for checks by police at Changi Airport when he arrived in Singapore and was scheduled to fly to Manila. 

A search revealed that he had the equivalent of S$22,008.55 in cash, which he did not declare in accordance with the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. 

Court documents did not shed light on how the clubhouse operations unravelled, but at about 1.20am on May 18, 2024, a police raid was conducted at the Victoria Park Road property.

Nine people, including Wenhui, Zhentan, Pengfei and Koh, were seen there. The four were then arrested.