Former Sembawang GRC grassroots leader charged with cheating, forgery
Former Sembawang GRC grassroots leader Reichie Chng Teck Kiam is facing more than 100 charges for various cheating and forgery offences involving a total of some $1.4 million.
Chng, 51, has also been accused of committing forgery for the purpose of cheating by using the name of Sembawang Member of Parliament Ong Ye Kung. Ong is also the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Second Minister for Defence.
First charged in July, Chng was back in court on Monday (11 September) to face further charges, according to The Straits Times. He is accused of cheating 12 people – of amounts ranging from $2,000 to $250,000 each – between November 2012 and March this year.
With regard to the forgery charges, Chng allegedly made a false electronic record last August by capturing a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation that supposedly took place between him and Ong. The so-called conversation was about an investment scheme that the minister was said to be participating in.
Chng allegedly created the record in order to give the impression that Ong had made it. He then used it to cheat a Tan Boon Hai into giving consent for Chng to retain some property.
Ong has issued a statement confirming that Chng served as a grassroots leader in his constituency, adding that he has made a police report on the matter. Chng was offered bail of $40,000. He will be back in court on 11 October.
If convicted of cheating, he could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined on each charge. If convicted of forgery for the purpose of cheating, he could also be jailed for up to 10 years and fined on each charge.
More Singapore stories:
