Nine of the 10 accused in Singapore’s recent billion-dollar money laundering bust have Cambodian links, the Strait Times reported, with some involved in illegal gambling operations in mainland China.
The arrests were made on August 15th, as part of one of Singapore’s largest-ever money laundering crackdown operations. About SGP$1 billion ($736 million) worth of assets was seized or frozen, including several high-end properties, luxury cars, watches, and bottles of liquor.
The 10 accused in the money laundering case here are citizens of seven different jurisdictions, with nine having been granted Cambodian citizenship, while most are believed to come from mainland China.
According to the publication, one of the detainees is a man named Wang Shuiming, who’s facing a forgery charge in China as well as four money laundering charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
Wang is a Turkish national and was granted Cambodian citizenship in March, 2019, and according to a notice put up by the Chinese authorities last year, is wanted in China to assist in investigations into the Heng Bo Bao Wang gambling syndicate that was uncovered in 2022.
Chinese authorities are also looking for a man named Wang Shuiting, said to be linked to the same syndicate and director in S.C.W.D. Construction, a company registered in Cambodia in 2016.
Other two detainees include Wang Dehai and Su Wenqiang, each facing two money laundering charges. Both are Cypriot nationals and have Cambodian citizenship.
Authorities in China have placed the two on the wanted list to assist in investigations into an illegal gambling gang that was uncovered in 2017.
A Chinese national and Cambodian citizen, Wang Baosen, is also facing money laundering charges in Singapore, with Chinese reports linking him to people involved with the Hongli gambling syndicate, which previously operated in Cambodia.
