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Former CHC leader Chew Eng Han starts serving jail term

Chew Eng Han in police van on 22 February 2018. Photo: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore
Chew Eng Han in police van on 22 February 2018. Photo: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore

Former City Harvest Church leader Chew Eng Han began serving his jail sentence of three years and four months on Thursday (1 March).

The decision by the State Courts on Thursday on the start of Chew’s prison term followed directions from the Court of Appeal.

Chew, 57, has completed his one-week remand since he was charged in court last Thursday with one count of leaving Singapore for Malaysia from Pulau Ubin jetty, an unauthorised point of departure, by a motorised sampan.

Chew was supposed to begin serving his jail term last Thursday for his role in appropriating some $50 million of City Harvest Church funds, but was arrested by Police Coast Guard officers after they intercepted his vessel in the waters off Pulau Ubin at about 8.45am on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal ordered that Chew commence his sentence after the completion of his remand. Chew was remanded to assist in investigations into his escape attempt.

His hearing for his present charge of departing from Singapore from an illegal point of departure has been adjourned to 29 March as investigations are being finalised.

Chew appeared in the State Courts dressed in a blue shirt with white stripes on Thursday. His lawyer, Jonathan Phipps, made an application for Chew to speak to his wife, who was also present in court. The district judge granted the application and the couple spoke for about five minutes while Chew remained in the dock.

Separately, the boatman who piloted Chew’s sampan, had a fresh unrelated charge tendered to him on Thursday.

Tan Poh Teck, a 53-year-old Singaporean, was charged last Thursday with abetting Chew to leave Singapore by conveying Chew on a motorised sampan from Pulau Ubin jetty. He now faces a second count of a similar nature, which occurred before Chew’s escape attempt.

According to his charge sheet, Tan abetted another person, a Shanker Maghalingam, to leave Singapore on a motorised boat from a beach near PA Water Venture, Changi, on 17 December last year at about 8.15am.

From there, Tan allegedly conveyed Shanker to the fish farms near Pulau Ubin before Shanker boarded another boat for Malaysia.

Tan, who is represented by lawyer Tan Hee Jeok, will be remanded for further investigations and will next appear in court on 7 March.

On Wednesday, another accomplice, 45-year-old Malaysia Khoo Kea Leng, was charged with one count of abetting Chew to leave Singapore illegally and collecting $8,000 from him.

Chew’s elder brother, Chew Eng Soon, 61, was also arrested in relation to the offence and is currently out on bail. He has not been charged in court.

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