Man linked to EPL club takeover bid jailed 15 years and nine months

Singaporean businessman duped 6 banks into disbursing more than 69m in loans

- Nadine Chua

The co-founder of Novena Global Healthcare Group (NGHG), who duped banks into disbursing more than $69 million in loans to his company and a wine trading company he had influence over, was jailed for 15 years and nine months on Aug 16.

Nelson Loh Ne-Loon, 45, admitted to nine charges - four for cheating, three for money laundering and two for forgery. He faced a total of 60 charges.

Loh made headlines in 2020 when he was part of a trio of investors looking to buy English Premier League (EPL) club Newcastle United. Their £280 million (S$477 million) takeover bid never materialised.

His employee and secondary school friend, Wong Soon Yuh, also known as Michael Wong, 45, pleaded guilty to five charges, including over cheating and forgery offences, on Aug 16.

He was sentenced to eight years and six months jail. The two Singaporeans left the Republic for China in September 2020, and warrants of arrest and Interpol red notices were issued against them in 2021.

The notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

Within days of their departure, the police received a report that signatures of accounting firm Ernst & Young had been forged on some of NGHG's financial statements.