Two men convicted in $3 billion money laundering case deported to Cambodia

SINGAPORE – Two men convicted in Singapore’s largest money laundering case were deported to Cambodia on May 6.

Su Wenqiang and Wang Baosen, both 32, will be banned from re-entering Singapore, a spokesperson for the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on May 6.

They were among 10 foreigners arrested in a money laundering investigation in August 2023 in which more than $3 billion in cash and assets were seized.

The ICA had said in April that “the place of deportation (of those convicted) depends on the admissibility of the foreigner based on his valid passport.”

Su, a Cambodian citizen, was sentenced to 13 months in prison on April 2 after pleading guilty to two counts of money laundering.

Admitted possessing more than $600,000 in cash (proceeds from illegal remote gambling crimes) and using $500,000 in criminal proceeds to purchase a Mercedes-Benz automobile.

Nine other charges were taken into account for his sentencing.

Wang, who obtained Cambodian citizenship in 2020 and also holds passports from China and Vanuatu, was sentenced to 13 months in prison on April 16 after pleading guilty to two counts of money laundering.

He faced eight charges in total.

He admitted lying to HSBC about the source of his funds and to the Ministry of Manpower about his employment in Singapore.

Su was detained in a good-class bungalow on Lewis Road in Bukit Timah in August 2023 when police raided luxury homes across Singapore.

Investigations found that Su engaged in online gambling activities in 2019 while living in Manila, Philippines. Through these, he was forced to work for an illegal remote gambling business based in the Philippines that targeted people in China.

Among other duties, he managed the staff that maintained the website that allowed customers to place bets through their mobile phones.

He participated in the profits that the union obtained each month.

In 2021, he moved to Singapore because his wife wanted their two young children to study here. While in Singapore, he continued to work for the gaming business.

As for Wang, the court heard in April that he had submitted a falsified loan agreement to HSBC in relation to $600,000 he deposited into his wife’s bank account in January 2023.

Wang also failed to account for the more than $1.4 million he used to pay for 10 percent of the purchase price of a luxury condo unit in Orchard in March 2022.

The other three people treated in this case so far are Su Haijin, Su Baolin and Zhang Ruijin.

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 in prison on April 4. He faced 14 charges and lost assets worth about $165 million to the state.

Cambodian national Su Baolin, 42, was sentenced to 14 months in prison on April 29. He faced 13 charges and had about $65 million confiscated.

Chinese national Zhang Ruijin, 45, was sentenced to 15 months in prison on April 30. He faced eight charges and had about $118 million confiscated.