A 40-year-old Singaporean man will be charged under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act for his alleged involvement in money laundering offences linked to a COVID-19 scam.
In mid-March 2020, the Police were alerted to a case of an overseas pharmaceutical company being defrauded of 6.636 million euros (approximately S$10.2 million) for the purchase of surgical masks and hand sanitisers. After the company transferred the monies to a local bank, the items were not delivered, and the supplier became uncontactable.
Through investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the man who had received the monies and arrested him on 25 March 2020. Further investigations by the Commercial Affairs Department suggested that the man allegedly had reasonable grounds to believe that the money was criminal proceeds when he received the said monies. The man had also purportedly used, transferred and removed part of the money from Singapore.
The man will be charged in court on 24 February 2021. The offence of money-laundering under Section 47(6)(a) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking And Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation Of Benefits) Act carries a fine not exceeding $500,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both.
The Police take a serious view of all those who take advantage of the current COVID-19 situation to perpetrate crimes. We will spare no efforts in taking all those who flout the laws to task. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline at 1800 722 6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
23 February 2021 @ 9:30 PM