SINGAPORE: The prosecution on Friday (Aug 19) requested more time to investigate the couple who were allegedly involved in a multimillion-dollar luxury goods scam.
Singaporean Pi Jiapeng, 26, and his wife, 27-year-old Thai national Siriwipa Pansuk, are accused of deceiving Tradenation customers into paying for luxury watches they did not intend to deliver.
They are also accused of cheating customers of their other luxury goods firm Tradeluxury into buying luxury handbags.
Describing the case as “complex”, the prosecution requested that the couple be remanded at the Central Police Division for an additional week for investigations.
The case involves losses of more than S$20 million and more time is needed to determine the whereabouts of the funds, the prosecution said.
Pi’s lawyer Bhargavan Sujatha and Pansuk’s lawyer Johannes Hadi, who both appeared to represent their clients for the first time, did not object to them being further remanded.
The alleged offences took place between May 28, 2021 and Jun 27 this year, according to court documents.
Pi and Pansuk had been on the run for about five weeks when they were arrested in Malaysia and handed over to Singapore police on Aug 11.
When they appeared before the court the next day, Deputy Public Prosecutor David Koh described their two cheating charges as “holding charges”, adding that investigations were still at an early stage.
This is because the couple absconded, and because time was needed to investigate the more than 180 police reports made, he said.
LEAVING SINGAPORE ILLEGALLY
Pi and Pansuk were also charged last week with illegally leaving Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint on Jul 4.
The couple had fled Singapore by hiding in the container compartment of a Malaysia-registered lorry. This was about a month after Pi was arrested in June on suspicion of cheating.
His passport was impounded and he was released on bail. Pansuk had also surrendered her passport to the police and was assisting with investigations.