Deputy Public Prosecutor Edwin Soh pointed to the affidavits filed by the investigating officer on Su’s case in objecting to bail.
According to Senior Investigation Officer with the Criminal Investigation Department Mr Francis Lim, Su was arrested on Aug 15 after the islandwide raid conducted by the Singapore Police Force linked to money-laundering offences.
A total of S$601,706 in cash linked to Su has been seized, along with his wife’s bank account containing about S$2 million and two vehicles worth at least S$584,000 in his wife’s name.
The second charge for the Mercedes Benz was tendered after investigations found that Su had bought it with S$500,000 in cash, Mr Lim said.
In total, Su faces offences involving suspected criminal proceeds of over S$1.1 million, which Mr Lim said was “no small sum”.
He said further charges may be tendered against Su as investigations are still at an early stage and the police are still examining the sources of Su’s wealth.
THE IO’S INVESTIGATIONS SO FAR
Mr Lim said investigations so far show that Su was recruited to be an executive in a remote lottery business operating from the Philippines and Cambodia.
The business targeted gamblers from China, and investigations show that he was paid for his work in cash. There is also evidence that the money in Su’s charges can be linked to these illegal remote gambling operations overseas, Mr Lim said.
He said it would be “a great injustice” if Su managed to abscond and evade the charges.
He said Su has been wanted by Chinese authorities for his illegal gambling activities since 2017, and knows this.
He admitted that an associate in the remote lottery business arranged for him to procure a passport from Vanuatu through a courier, and he used this passport to travel, said Mr Lim.
He said Su has no strong roots in Singapore. His parents live in China while his wife and children are Chinese nationals.
He has a house in Xiamen worth around S$1.9 million under his wife’s name, and accomplices who may help him abscond, said Mr Lim.
“Based on the mobile phones seized from the accused, he and his accomplices would communicate with each other in WhatsApp and Telegram group chats to discuss the operations of their remote gambling websites,” said Mr Lim. “They would also discuss the transnational movement of funds from the remote gambling websites.”
He said these accomplices are at large and can help Su abscond.
The judge dismissed the bail application, saying Su has only been in Singapore for two years after moving here with his family in 2021 and is neither a citizen nor a permanent resident. She fixed the case for a pre-trial conference in December.