SINGAPORE: A Chinese national came to Singapore on a fraudulent work pass and found a job performing tasks for a criminal syndicate. He handled S$11.6 million (US$9.2 million) for the organisation and set up a bungalow for three hackers, also from China, to use as a base.
Chen Yiren, 44, was sentenced to about 22 months’ jail and given a fine of S$8,000 on Wednesday (Feb 25).
He pleaded guilty to four charges which included receiving money used by a syndicate to facilitate offences, making a false statement in a work permit application, and working as a housekeeper without a valid work pass.
Another seven charges were considered in sentencing.
THE CASE
The court heard that Chen paid an agent in China sometime before 2022 for help in applying for a work permit in Singapore.
He managed to obtain a work permit under Kowata Engineering & Construction as a process maintenance and construction worker, and came to Singapore in June 2022.
Although he attended some training for the job, he did not work for the company but instead looked for his own work.
He was introduced to 38-year-old Ni-Vanuatu citizen Xu Liangbiao, who is now wanted for suspected money laundering linked to a billion-dollar money laundering case that broke in August 2023.
Xu left Singapore a day before arrests were made on Aug 15, 2023 and his current whereabouts are unknown.
Xu told Chen that he had rented a property at 48B Jalan Kampong Chantek in Bukit Timah and needed help to furnish it, offering to pay Chen.
Chen agreed, and began assisting Xu with various errands in exchange for an initial monthly salary of 20,000 yuan (S$3,674) that later increased to 30,000 yuan.
Among his duties, Chen collected money on Xu’s behalf at the house at Jalan Kampong Chantek through delivery riders dispatched from moneychangers.
For authentication, the delivery riders would check against a photo of a dollar note Chen showed them with a specific serial number.
Between late 2022 and Sep 9, 2024, Chen received almost S$11.6 million in total over 23 occasions under Xu’s directions.
Although Chen found it suspicious that he was asked to receive such large amounts of money in cash – the largest single sum was over S$1.3 million – he saw himself as merely Xu’s worker and did not ask him about it.
