First of 10 suspects in S$3b money laundering case set to plead guilty

Su Wenqiang, aged 33, is identified as Cambodian in official records, but his passport reveals his origin as Fujian, China.

He is confronted with a total of 11 charges, encompassing offences such as money laundering, possession of proceeds from illegal remote gambling, and providing false information to secure work passes for both himself and his wife.

Defence lawyer earlier highlighted Su’s desire for his children to benefit from Singapore’s ‘robust education system’

Su possesses passports from China, Cambodia, and Vanuatu, and he relocated two young children to Singapore to establish permanent residency and provide them with education here.

Having been in custody for over six months since his arrest in August of the preceding year, Su is among a group of nine men and one woman, primarily of Chinese origin, apprehended in a comprehensive police raid.

The overarching case centres around a remote gambling operation headquartered in the Philippines, specifically targeting bettors in China.

Several of the suspects were subjects of wanted notices in China, yet they successfully established operations in Singapore, with some allegedly managing shell companies dating back to 2019.

According to court records, the other nine accused individuals in the case are still in the pre-trial conference or case management conference stages.

Mr Sameer Amir Melber and Mr Nandwani Manoj Prakash from Gabriel Law Corporation are representing Su.

Su is accused of the following charges:

1. Possessing S$601,706 (US$441,000), derived at least partially from illegal remote gambling activities.
2. Utilizing S$500,000 in unlawful gains to purchase a Mercedes Benz AMG C63S in January 2022.
3. Laundering approximately S$477,000 in illicit proceeds from a Philippines-based illegal remote gambling service. This involved acquiring luxury bags, jewelry, alcohol, and covering expenses for renting luxurious houses and condominium units.
4. Providing false information in a February 2022 employment pass application, falsely claiming to be employed as a sales director by Fleur Business Service.
5. Conspiring with another individual to secure a work pass for his wife, Su Yanping.

Chinese authorities have sought Su Jianfeng and other individuals since 2015

On 15 August, Singaporean authorities conducted a comprehensive island-wide operation resulting in the apprehension of 10 Fujian-origin individuals suspected of involvement in money laundering and forgery.

This landmark case has reverberated across the city-state as authorities seized a vast array of assets, including 152 properties and 62 vehicles, collectively estimated at over S$3 billion.

The accused individuals had amassed substantial wealth, not only investing in existing companies but also founding their ventures, fostering diverse networks within the country.

Furthermore, these individuals were involved in local charitable activities and led lavish lifestyles, contributing donations to causes like the President’s Challenge and ComChest.

It was revealed that some of the accused in the S$3 billion money laundering case, are wanted by Chinese authorities for their involvement in various unlawful activities, such as illegal gambling or fraud.

A comparison with Chinese media reports suggests that some of these suspects have been sought by Chinese authorities for their alleged involvement in criminal activities dating as far back as 2015.

In 2015,  the Guiyang County Public Security Bureau discovered that Su Jianfeng, along with other individuals, Wang Dehai, Su Wenqiang, Wang Huoqiang, and Su Yongcan were suspects of a major crime, and they were fugitives at that time.

In a noteworthy connection to the current S$3 billion case, Su, Wang Dehai (王德海), and Su Wenqiang (苏文强) are among the ten individuals arrested and charged.