Jail for man linked to crime syndicate that controlled 70 bank accounts

Over $837,000 flowed through accounts, with nearly $43,000 traced to scams here

- Shaffiq Alkhatib Court Correspondent

Saddled by debts after taking loans from unlicensed moneylenders, a Malaysian man decided to work for a transnational criminal syndicate that later controlled 70 accounts at seven Singapore banks.

More than $837,000 in total flowed through these accounts, and nearly $43,000 from this amount was traced to reported scam cases in Singapore.

Singapore and Malaysian police managed to bust the Johor-based syndicate, and 12 Malaysians, including Tan Kang Yung, 35, were arrested in a raid on Aug 9, 2024.

Tan was sentenced to five years and 10 months' jail and a fine of $2,000 on Dec 12. He will have to spend an additional week behind bars if he fails to settle the fine.

He earlier pleaded guilty in November to multiple charges over offences including cheating and misusing a computer system.

The cases involving two of his alleged accomplices Malaysians Besmond Huan Yu Kang, 24, and Yew Chee Sian, 37 are pending.

Yew's wife Angeline Chan Sze Sze, 38, also a Malaysian, is said to be an alleged accomplice, and she is still at large.