SINGAPORE \u2013 The prosecution has asked that no bail be offered to one of the two Singaporean men charged with being a scam caller in a Cambodia-based scam syndicate. <\/p>\n
At a court mention on Dec 1 for Wayne Soh You Chen, 27, a police prosecutor said this was because his charge under the Organised Crime Act (OCA) is non-bailable, and he is of a high flight risk. <\/p>\n
The police prosecutor added that Soh had strong links with the syndicate\u2019s masterminds.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThere\u2019s also reason to believe that the syndicate leaders, who are still at large, (are) likely to reach out and collude with the accused… if he is on bail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soh, along with Brian Sie Eng Fa, 32, were <\/p>\n charged on Nov 17<\/p>\n <\/a> with facilitating the commission of cheating, linked to an organised criminal group, whose victims lost at least $41 million across 438 cases.<\/p>\n Court documents state\u00a0the two men were allegedly scam callers\u00a0in a call centre and committed their offences in Cambodia on or around Sept 9.<\/p>\n The Phnom Penh-based syndicate allegedly ran government official impersonation scams targeting victims in Singapore, and the pair were among\u00a0<\/p>\n 34 suspects wanted <\/p>\n <\/a>by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for being part of the group.<\/p>\n Their\u00a0activities were disrupted during a joint operation by the SPF and the Cambodian National Police on Sept 9.<\/p>\n The prosecutor said Soh fled the compound before police raided it over scam activities, and he was eventually arrested and deported to Singapore.<\/p>\n SPF said on Nov 16 that Soh and Sie were nabbed by foreign police in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Khon Kaen, Thailand, respectively.<\/p>\n Noting that Soh was living in Cambodia with his wife and daughter, the prosecutor said he can survive outside Singapore.<\/p>\n \u201cHis means of sustenance include… cryptocurrency, through the syndicate, which is hard to trace,\u201d said the prosecutor.<\/p>\n Given the size and scope of the case, and the money involved, the prosecutor urged the court to not grant him bail.<\/p>\n Soh\u2019s lawyer Gino Hardial Singh, who also represents Sie, said Soh surrendered to the authorities in Cambodia and was not on the run.<\/p>\n The lawyer added he would apply for a bail review for both men at an appropriate time. <\/p>\n As for Sie, the prosecutor sought to remand him for another week, as investigations were taking longer because of the complicated nature of syndicated operations.<\/p>\n Sie will have his next court mention on Dec 8, while Soh\u2019s case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Dec 19.<\/p>\n Both men, who attended court via video-link, remained stoic during court proceedings.<\/p>\n Twenty-five other Singaporeans and six Malaysians remain wanted by the Singapore police over their alleged links to the organised crime group. <\/p>\n One of the Malaysian fugitives, Bernard Goh Yie Shen, 24, was <\/p>\n arrested by the Cambodian National Police (CNP) in Phnom Penh <\/p>\n <\/a>and deported to Malaysia.\u00a0On Nov 17, the Royal Malaysia Police handed him over to Singapore\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department.<\/p>\n Goh was charged here on Nov 18 with overseeing the operations of a call centre that targeted and cheated victims in Singapore.<\/p>\n The scam syndicate was allegedly\u00a0<\/p>\n run by fugitive Singaporean Ng Wei Liang<\/p>\n <\/a>, who purportedly recruited his older brother, cousin and girlfriend into the scheme. Ng is on the run.<\/p>\n Other purported syndicate members were\u00a0<\/p>\n charged in September under the OCA.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n For each charge under the OCA, an offender can be jailed for up to five years, fined up to $100,000, or both.<\/p>\n SPF had earlier urged anyone with information on the suspects\u2019 whereabouts to call its hotline on 1800-255-0000 (or +65 6255-0000 for overseas callers) or submit information online at\u00a0<\/p>\n www.police.gov.sg\/i-witness<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n All information received will be kept strictly confidential.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>\n