Nigerian jailed over money-laundering scheme charged for cheating inmate at Changi Prison
SINGAPORE — A Nigerian man who was sentenced to three years' jail for his role in laundering US$27.2 million (S$37.2million) cheated from the Ethiopian government was charged on Wednesday (31 July) with cheating another inmate while in remand at Changi Prison.
Amos Paul Gabriel, a 48-year-old Singapore permanent resident, has been accused of deceiving Milled El Khouri into believing that a sum of AUD$40,000 (S$38,000), provided by El Khouri, would be used to post bail for the latter.
Believing Amos, El Khouri had the sum of money delivered to a person named Chung Ting Fai through another person named Enkhadalai Mandakh.
During his previous run-in with the law, Amos was represented by a lawyer also named Chung Ting Fai.
According to a Straits Times report, El Khouri is an Australian businessman who is wanted in Australia for allegedly receiving stolen cars and dealing with criminal proceeds. He was detained in Singapore in January last year.
Amos’ deception is said to have occurred between January and May last year at Changi Prison Complex while Amos was in remand for his money laundering offences. His charge sheet did not state the roles played by Chung and Enkhadalai in the alleged offence.
Charged via videolink, Amos said that he had a lawyer but was not aware of the new charge against him. He will be back in court on 28 August.
Plot to cheat Ethiopian government
Amos was sentenced to three years’ jail on 16 May this year for the money laundering offences. On the same day, he was also fined $4,200 for reckless driving after nearly causing an accident on the East Coast Parkway expressway sometime in 2016 while in his blue Lamborghini .
As the director of the Singapore-based Pags Resources, Amos was here in 2008 when became involved in a plot to cheat the Ethiopian government.
The scheme involved fake instructions purportedly given by the National Bank of Ethiopia to Citibank N.A. New York to transfer US$27.2 million from its corporate account to beneficiaries in other countries.
Amos agreed to participate in the scheme provided that he get a cut of the funds.
According to previously reported court documents, US$290,000 was wired into his firm’s bank account in Singapore on 21 October 2008. He used S$40,000 of the sum to pay for personal expenses.
For his current cheating charge, Amos faces up to 10 years’ jail or a fine if convicted.
Related story:
Man jailed for aiding US$27M transnational money laundering scheme involving Singaporean accounts
