Singapore convicts last person in hub’s biggest laundering case

Singaporean fifty dollar bank notes. (Photo: Munshi Ahmed/Bloomberg)
Wang Dehai is the last of a group of 10 arrested in August to plead guilty. He was convicted of money laundering on 7 June and received the longest sentence so far. (Photo: Munshi Ahmed/Bloomberg)

By Bernadette Toh and Chanyaporn Chanjaroen

(Bloomberg) — Singapore convicted the final person arrested in the country’s largest money laundering case and handed down a 16-month jail term, wrapping up a saga that saw more than S$3 billion ($2.2 billion) of assets seized.

Wang Dehai, 35, is the last of a group of 10 arrested in August to plead guilty. He was convicted of money laundering on Friday and received the longest sentence so far in the wide-ranging probe. Sentencing for one further person is due Monday.

The saga – which related to remote gambling – sent shockwaves through the orderly nation, prompting a review of the policies that were exploited to allow so much money to be laundered for so long at some of the world’s biggest banks.

More than S$3 billion of assets were seized, belonging to 27 individuals. Beyond the 10 who were convicted, 17 others remain at large and under investigations, according to the police.

The other convicts in this case were jailed between 13 and 15 months each. Their sentences were backdated to last August, when they were arrested during an island-wide raid.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.