Woman accused of receiving scam proceeds in account walks free after full restitution to victim

A woman accused of receiving $20,000 in scam proceeds in her bank account has walked free after she made full restitution to the victim.

Singaporean Tan Lizhen, 37, who was charged in May with one count of dealing with the benefits of criminal conduct, had her charge compounded and was given a discharge amounting to an acquittal in August.

Those given such a discharge cannot be charged again with the same offence.

Under the law, only certain offences can be compounded, such as causing hurt and outrage of modesty.

Compounding an offence requires an agreement with the victim to have the matter compensated, usually with a payment or an apology.

Ms Tan had been accused of committing the offence on March 28, 2024.

In a statement to The Straits Times on Sept 1, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said that Ms Tan’s charge involved her alleged receipt of $20,000 in her bank account through a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency sale transaction.

She had been accused of failing to take reasonable steps to ascertain the source of the funds, and the money was traced back to a scam victim.

An AGC spokesperson added: “Following the completion of investigations and after carefully considering the facts and circumstances of the matter, the prosecution agreed for the accused’s charge to be compounded on the condition that she makes full restitution to the victim, which she has taken the necessary steps to facilitate on Aug 20.”

District Judge Brenda Tan granted the discharge on Aug 25.

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

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