Lin Baoying, the only woman accused in the S$2.8 billion money laundering case, is said to have lived on Sentosa with Zhang Ruijin, described as her “domestic partner”. - ST ILLUSTRATIONS
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The only woman accused in the S$2.8 billion money laundering case is said to have lived on Sentosa while her 15-year-old daughter lived with a maid in Beach Road.
The person the woman was living with in a Sentosa Cove bungalow was her lover, who is also one of the accused in Singapore’s worst money laundering case.
In Lin Baoying’s bail review on Wednesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Tan said the 44-year-old Chinese national, who had claimed she lives in Singapore with her daughter, had been less than candid with the court.
He said: “In reality, the daughter resides in Singapore but not with the accused. They stay at separate residences.”
The DPP said the prosecution was not insinuating that Lin did not intend to fulfil her motherly duties, but argued that her claim to be rooted here because of her daughter was overstated.
He added that the daughter was receiving adequate care while Lin was in remand, and it was clear they had separate living arrangements before her arrest.
In arguing for bail, Lin’s lawyer Chew Kei-Jin said his client, who faces two charges of forgery and one of perverting the course of justice, was first interviewed by police in June 2022. She then left Singapore twice and returned each time.
The first sign of trouble that led to the discovery of Singapore’s largest money laundering case was in 2021, when the authorities noticed possibly forged documents being used to substantiate sources of funds in bank accounts here, Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo said in Parliament on Oct 3.
Teo said that after an extensive probe in 2022, the police uncovered a web of people allegedly transferring money, suspected to be earned from criminal activities, to Singapore from abroad.
In arguing against bail, DPP Tan said Lin has passports from countries which she has no substantive ties to, including Turkey, Cambodia, and Dominica – a country she has never been to.
The prosecutor said Lin obtained the Dominican passport after paying US$130,000 (S$177,900) to an agent and the Cambodian one after paying US$160,000.
The DPP said the manner in which she bought the passports meant she could do so again through similar methods.
Chew said that apart from a social connection with four of the other accused individuals in the case, Lin has not been shown to be connected to the others.
One of these connections was to Zhang Ruijin, 45, whom Chew described as Lin’s “domestic partner”.
It was revealed in court on Aug 16 that Lin and Zhang – who were among 10 foreigners charged in connection to the case – were lovers.
Referring to Lin, Zhang had told the court: “You can separate her crimes from me, we are just lovers... You can bail me out, but remand her.”
According to an affidavit from Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) officer Seow Jing Min, the pair have known each other for more than a decade.
Lin calls Zhang her husband, though they are not officially married, said Ms Seow in the affidavit.
In response to Chew’s claim that Lin had only a social connection to four of the accused, DPP Tan said these connections were not simply about meals and gatherings, but that Lin had gone on holidays with Zhang, and with two other accused individuals – Su Baolin and Su Haijin – and their wives.
Zhang, who faces a total of three forgery charges, also had his bail reviewed on Wednesday.
In arguing for bail, Zhang’s lawyer Loo Choon Chiaw said his client was incapable of absconding as he did not have the means to do so. He said Zhang only had $93,000 left in his personal funds.
Loo said his client was gainfully employed as the chief investment officer of Golden Eagle Family Office, which further demonstrated his ties to Singapore.
Zhang has lived in Singapore for about four years, and wanted to raise a family here with Lin before their arrests, said Loo, adding that these plans have not changed despite the current circumstances.
He said his client had also been interviewed in June 2022 and made two overseas trips – to Europe in July 2022 and Maldives in April 2023. He returned, proving he had no intention to abscond.
DPP Tan said Zhang had set up Golden Eagle to manage his wealth, and that was essentially the only function of his business.
The prosecutor said the company was dependent on Zhang to function, and given that his known wealth had been seized, the existence of this company was now in question. Therefore, it cannot be considered a significant root in Singapore.
On Aug 15, more than 400 officers led by the CAD raided properties in various locations, including Tanglin, Bukit Timah, Orchard Road, Sentosa and River Valley.
Nine men and one woman, all originally from China, were charged the next day with various offences, including money laundering, forgery and resisting arrest.
Among the assets the authorities have taken control of are 152 properties and 62 vehicles with an estimated value of more than $1.24 billion, money in bank accounts amounting to more than $1.45 billion, and cash in various currencies worth more than $76 million.
Another of the accused, Wang Dehai, 34, also had his bail application heard on Wednesday.
DPP Edwin Soh said Wang Dehai had relatives who were part of a remote gambling business operating from the Philippines and may help him leave the country.
In arguing against bail for Wang Dehai, the prosecutor said his brother-in-law Su Yongcan and his cousin Wang Huoqiang were accomplices who might help him abscond.
The Straits Times reported on Aug 21 that Su Yongcan, 32, and Wang Huoqiang, 29, were said to be on the run in 2018. Both men were known associates of Wang Dehai and two other accused – Vanuatu national Su Jianfeng, 35, and Cambodian national Su Wenqiang, 31.
Su Yongcan and Wang Huoqiang were among 72 individuals the authorities in China investigated in 2017 as they clamped down on illegal gambling activities.
Wang Dehai, a Cypriot national, faces two charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (CDSA). He was arrested at his condominium, The Marq on Paterson Hill, near Orchard Road.
He allegedly used proceeds from the illegal online gambling service – which is based in the Philippines and is for customers in China – to buy The Marq apartment for $23 million in November 2019.
He also allegedly possessed $2.3 million from illegal remote gambling offences.
On Wednesday, DPP Soh said investigations show the money can be linked to such illegal gambling operations and that the prosecution has produced credible evidence that Wang Dehai committed the offences stated in the charges.
Wang Dehai’s defence lawyer Megan Chia said her client’s involvement in remote gambling between 2012 and 2016 was insufficient to prove he had committed the offences he had been charged with.
DPP Soh said that even if remote gambling was legal in the Philippines, Wang Dehai had offered it to people in China, and a wanted notice in China for Wang Dehai made it evident that the service was illegal there.
The DPP referred to an affidavit submitted by Chia which stated that Wang Dehai had left China after the wanted notice was issued as he felt the potential sentence would suspend his civil liberties.
With Wang Dehai now facing more serious charges in Singapore, the DPP said he would surely be motivated to abscond to avoid a lengthy prison term.
District Judge Tay adjourned his decision on Wang Dehai, Lin Baoying and Zhang Ruijin’s bail to Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday morning, another of the accused, Cambodian national Chen Qingyuan, 33, was scheduled to have his bail reviewed. But the review was postponed as he had recently changed lawyers.
His new lawyer, Gary Low, said he had taken over the case 2½ weeks ago and had filed an affidavit for his client on Tuesday. He said the prosecution had indicated it would require till Nov 3 to respond.
Chen who faces four charges under the CDSA, will return to court on Nov 17.
