Su Jianfeng, last convict in S$3B money laundering case, deported to Cambodia

SINGAPORE: Su Jianfeng, the last of the ten individuals convicted in Singapore’s landmark S$3 billion money laundering case, has been deported to Cambodia, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Responding to media queries, ICA confirmed on Sunday that Su Jianfeng was deported on 26 July and is now barred from re-entering Singapore, as reported by Singapore state media CNA. ICA highlighted that Su is the final person among the ten arrested on August 15, 2023, who has been deported. All ten were convicted and sentenced for money laundering and other offences. On 10 Jun, the 36-year-old Su, originally from Fujian, China, and a Vanuatu national, was sentenced to 17 months in prison—the longest sentence among the nine men and one woman prosecuted in this case. The case involved illegal proceeds from Southeast Asian gambling centres aimed at Chinese punters, which were converted into luxury goods and properties in Singapore’s most expensive neighbourhoods. Su pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking, and Other Serious Crimes Act, as well as one count of forgery.

Su’s extensive property investment in Dubai

As part of his sentence, Su Jianfeng forfeited S$178.9 million, which represents 95.5% of the assets seized from him and his wife, Chen Qiuyan. Authorities had seized approximately S$187 million in total assets, including cash, real estate, cryptocurrency, and vehicles. In May, a data leak uncovered by the investigative journalism group, Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Straits Times, suggests that Su Jianfeng may have acted as the middleman facilitating the purchase of properties in Dubai for those involved in the case, primarily between 2020 and 2022. According to the OCCRP report, Su, despite a 2015 Chinese arrest warrant for alleged illegal gambling, has been revealed as the owner of Fidu Properties DMCC, a Dubai-based property firm marketing properties primarily to buyers from China. The leak indicated that Su had acquired 30 properties in Dubai, including apartments in the Burj Khalifa and a villa in District One Villas Phase Two. Following his arrest by the Commercial Affairs Department, authorities discovered that Su owned 12 properties in Singapore, seven high-end vehicles, tens of millions in cash and bank accounts, and cryptocurrency valued at S$26 million.

Ten convicted in S$3B case deported to Cambodia, Japan and UK

Eight individuals convicted in the S$3 billion money laundering case, including Su Jianfeng, were deported from Singapore to Cambodia. The others are Zhang Ruijin, Su Baolin, Su Haijin, Su Wenqiang, Wang Baosen, Chen Qingyuan, and Lin Baoying. On 16 July, Cambodian authorities announced that Zhang had been expelled from the country. Vang Shuiming was deported to Japan, while Wang Dehai was deported to the UK. They are all barred from re-entering Singapore. Approximately S$944 million (US$697 million) in assets seized in relation to the ten criminals involved in one of Singapore’s largest money laundering probes were forfeited to the state. Investigations are ongoing against 17 other suspects who are not currently in Singapore. The assets linked to these suspects account for the remaining portion of the total S$3 billion seized. During the parliamentary session on 2 July, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling informed Parliament that individuals with multiple passports can indicate their preferred deportation country, but Singapore will deport them to nations most likely to accept them. Ms Sun clarified in response to a parliamentary question filed by Ms Sylvia Lim, Workers’ Party MP for Aljunied GRC, that it is not simply a matter of offenders stating “I choose and therefore I will be sent there.” She explained that the choice is subject to an assessment by the Ministry. This assessment considers whether the individual can be admitted into the chosen country based on their travel document. Ms Lim also raised concerns about the deportation of individuals to Cambodia who did not hold Cambodian passports. Ms Sun later confirmed that these individuals did not hold Cambodian passports but possessed valid travel documents or passports that met Cambodia’s admission requirements. She affirmed that Singapore authorities’ main priority is to ensure the effective and swift deportation of foreigners once they have completed their sentences.

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  This article was first published on Gutzy Asia.