Yang Yin gave out name cards with false information
(Yahoo file photo)
Yang Yin, the former tour guide who is currently facing two charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), has admitted that he printed two name cards with false information on them in order to appear presentable.
The 42-year-old who stands accused of cheating 89-year-old Chung Khin Chun of S$1.1 million admitted to doing so after being grilled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Sanjiv Vaswani on Thursday (4 August) in the State Courts.
Yang, a China-born Singapore permanent resident (PR), had earlier intended to plead guilty to two CBT charges but changed his mind on 27 July. He faces 120 charges involving falsification, immigration and cheating-related offences.
Chung had given Yang control over her welfare and assets via a Lasting Power of Attorney in 2012, which was later contested by Chung’s niece, Hedy Mok.
The two name cards bore his name and listed him as, among other things, a director with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI), an arts broker, an antique art investment advisor and a permanent member of the Singapore Painting and Calligraphy Association.
Yang, who earlier said that he never used others for his personal interest, admitted to handing out the name card to a friend from an auction company and said that he could also have given one to Mok.
When asked why he needed the cards, Yang said, “I wanted to look presentable and it is nothing much. The purpose of the name cards are to elevate my status when others see it.”
He added that the titles on the cards were “empty”, which prompted DPP Sanjiv to say, “The title of director with SCCCI is not empty.”
It was also revealed by DPP Sanjiv that Yang had attempted to sell a fake painting to an auction house in Hong Kong. The painting, which was meant to be a Xu Beihong work titled “Cat”, was rejected once it was found to be a fake.
Yang had insisted that the painting, along with a few other pieces, were given to him by his teacher, Guan Miao Lin, and that he was just helping to sell them off in return for a commission.
Earlier, it was also revealed that Yang had used a fake degree certificate to apply for his PR status.
DPP Sanjiv pointed to two certificates that Yang submitted in his application which showed that he was granted a certificate of graduation on 30 June 2009, a day before he was awarded his bachelor’s degree.
However, Yang rebutted the prosecution by saying that it was normal for the certificates to mailed out a day after despite DPP Sanjiv pointing out that the dates were not postmarked.
At around 5pm, Yang – who appeared distressed as he was being questioned by the prosecution – asked Deputy Presiding Judge Jennifer Marie to allow him to leave the witness stand as he did not wish to discuss his case further.
He was told off by the judge, who reminded him that he had opted to give his evidence from the stand.
However, Yang was allowed to speak to his counsel Irving Choh for a few minutes before the trial resumed. His counsel explained that his client was tired and felt unsure of Singapore’s jurisdiction.
The trial will resume on Friday (5 August).
