$3b money laundering accused offered jail time of 13 to 15 months after receiving 6 new charges

One of the 10 foreigners in the $3 billion money laundering case received six more charges on April 11, five days before he is scheduled to plead guilty.

Chinese national Wang Baosen, 32, was given one charge of lying to the authorities during investigations, one charge of abetting the use of a forged document, two additional charges of money laundering, and two charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

Wang, who has been remanded for eight months since his arrest on Aug 15, previously faced two money laundering charges here relating to money from illegal remote gambling. He now faces eight charges in total.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Foo Shi Hao told the court that the prosecution had communicated a plead guilty offer of between 13 and 15 months’ jail in total.

Wang’s lawyer, Mr Favian Kang from Adelphi Law Chambers, confirmed to District Judge James Elisha Lee that his client still intends to plead guilty on April 16.

Wang allegedly lied four times to a Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) officer between Aug 16 and Oct 18 in 2023, about the source of his assets.

Among other false statements, Wang purportedly claimed that a unit at Park Nova condominium in Tomlinson Road had been paid for by his wife’s former boyfriend.

He also allegedly told the police that monies in several bank accounts were loan repayments from his and his wife’s friends.

Wang allegedly instigated his wife, He Huifang, to submit a forged loan agreement to HSBC on May 25, 2023, as a supporting document for him receiving $599,965 in an HSBC bank account.

This sum was alleged proceeds from illegal remote gambling. Wang was charged with possessing the money, and for using another $1.4 million in criminal proceeds to pay 10 per cent of the purchase price of the Park Nova unit on March 30, 2022.

Another accused person in the case, Turkish national Vang Shuiming, 43, allegedly financed one condominium unit at Park Nova, along with 10 condominium units at Canninghill Piers.

Wang also allegedly made a false statement in 2019 while applying for a work pass, claiming he would be employed by a company named Tonta as an assistant marketing manager.

Two years later, in 2021, while he was in the Philippines, he purportedly instructed a person in Singapore, named as Tan Chee Wan or “Clarence” in court documents, to renew his S Pass by claiming that he would continue to be employed by Tonta in the same role.

Appearing in court via video-link, Wang was expressionless as the new charges were handed down. Wang, who owns China and Vanuatu passports, had tried to secure bail twice and was denied each time.

At a bail mention in September 2023, a CAD officer revealed in an affidavit that a company was set up for the main purpose of helping Wang’s wife obtain an employment pass in Singapore.

The officer said Wang holds a dependant’s pass linked to He’s supposed employment in Singapore.

Wang said in his affidavit that the couple, along with their two daughters, moved to Singapore in 2022. His relatives, including his mother, brother and niece, were denied passes to enter and remain in Singapore after his arrest.

Wang previously told the police that he had overseas sources of income, including one million yuan (S$190,650) of profits from his family’s tea plantation business in China between 2019 and 2023.

The prosecution said in November 2023 that Wang had earlier admitted he previously worked with his cousin, Wang Bingang, at Hong Li International Entertainment, an illegal remote gambling site.

Assets worth more than $18 million have been seized or been subjected to prohibition of disposal orders relating to Wang Baosen’s case. The orders mean that they cannot be sold by him.

The assets include a black Toyota Alphard worth $284,000, more than $3.3 million in four bank accounts, and a property worth $14.76 million.

More than $3 billion in cash and assets have been seized so far in relation to the money laundering case.

Two other men involved were sentenced earlier in April.

Cypriot national Su Haijin, 41, who had jumped from the second-floor balcony of a good class bungalow during a police raid, was sentenced to 14 months’ jail on April 4. He had faced a total of 14 charges.

He had admitted to one charge of resisting arrest and two money laundering charges. Another 11 charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

On April 2, Cambodian national Su Wenqiang, 32, was sentenced to 13 months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering. He was the first in the group to be sentenced and faced a total of 11 charges.

He forfeited assets worth over $5.9 million to the state, including more than $600,000 in cash, a Mercedes-Benz worth around $500,000, and luxury goods such as jewellery and whisky.

Su Haijin forfeited assets worth a total of more than $165 million, including 13 properties worth around $91 million, multiple luxury watches and bags, and seven vehicles, including two Rolls-Royces. The vehicles have been sold by the authorities for over $3.3 million.

Lawyers told The Straits Times on April 7 that a disposal inquiry will likely be held for the court to deal with any contesting claims to the assets, and to decide if the items will be destroyed or auctioned off.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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