SINGAPORE — Su Haijin, one of the 10 accused in the billion-dollar money laundering case, is an extreme flight risk and could have passports in as many as five countries, said the prosecution on Wednesday (Sept 13).
During a court session, that lasted more than two hours, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Eric Hu said apart from Cypriot and Chinese passports, Su Haijin has Cambodian and Turkish passports which have not been recovered by the police.
The DPP added the police found a photo of a passport from St Lucia — a small island state — in his phone under the name Su Junjie and he did not tell the police this.
These passports mean that Su Haijin can leave Singapore easily, DPP Hu said.
The 40-year-old Cypriot national already faces one charge of money laundering and another for resisting arrest.
He has been in remand since Aug 15, and was applying on Wednesday for bail, appearing in court via video-link from Changi Medical Centre. The application for bail was rejected.
Su Haijin allegedly has over $4 million in a UOB bank account, said to be his benefits from unlawful remote gambling offences.
He had fractured his hands and legs after jumping from the second-floor balcony of his home at Ewart Park in Bukit Timah on Aug 15, allegedly while trying to escape from the police.
DPP Hu said Su Haijin was a flight risk and added: "Despite breaking both legs and injuring his wrists, he still mastered the will to leave his house to hide in a drain from the police."
Su Haijin's lawyer, Mr Julian Tay, said Su Haijin had voluntarily disclosed the existence of his Cambodian and Turkish passports and that there were valid business and investment reasons for him to have them.
He added there was no allegation these passports were fake or illegally obtained.
As for the St Lucian passport, the lawyer said it had already been cancelled and that Su Junjie has been his client's alias since primary school, and was not an attempt to hide his name.
He also said that the Chinese passport has been cancelled.
DPP Hu said the authorities are verifying with their international counterparts the claim that some of these passports have been cancelled.
In denying bail, District Judge Brenda Tan said she was satisfied Su Haijin was a flight risk, as he had multiple passports and resources to relocate comfortably, referring to his considerable wealth overseas in Cambodia, Cyprus and London.
She had earlier clarified with the prosecution that a property mentioned in the investigating officer's affidavit in Oxford Street was in fact in London.
On Sept 6, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jean Ting revealed in court the authorities have seized a total of $160 million in assets from him and his wife.
So far, nine men and one woman, aged between 31 and 44, have been nabbed following islandwide raids on Aug 15 by more than 400 officers led by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD).
All 10 have been remanded in custody since they were charged in court on Aug 16.
One of the 10 charged was Su Baolin, who faces two charges in total.
His second charge, which was recently amended, states he had allegedly conspired with one Wang Qiming to make a false document to cheat Standard Chartered Bank in December 2020.
On Wednesday, DPP Hu said Su Haijin had not been forthcoming with the full extent of financial dealings with other suspects — notably Su Baolin.
Details of Su Haijin's relationship with Su Baolin were revealed in court for the first time on Sept 6.
DPP Ng had said Su Baolin, a 41-year-old Cambodian national, had made payments in 2021 amounting to $2.2 million in Su Haijin's name towards two properties in Beach Road.
In 2022, Su Baolin, Su Haijin and two other people paid for a yacht, which was registered in the name of a fifth person. The three unnamed people left Singapore before or soon after investigations began.
DPP Ng had applied for no bail for Su Baolin, saying he had refused to divulge the true extent of his relationship with Su Haijin, and giving him bail would heighten the risk of collusion.
Judge Tan had said there was a real and high flight risk for Su Baolin, as there was evidence he owns a condominium in China and has the means to relocate.
She accepted the risk of collusion and did not grant Su Baolin bail. His case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Oct 4.
Su Haijin's case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Oct 11.
Prosecutors told the High Court last week that the police have taken control of more than $1.8 billion in assets as they continue to investigate one of the largest money laundering cases in Singapore.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.