Ong Ye Kung and Chee Hong Tat deny links to Su Haijin amid resurfaced dinner photos

Singapore ministers Ong Ye Kung and Chee Hong Tat have denied any relationship with convicted money launderer Su Haijin, following the circulation of photographs showing them at dinners attended by Su.

The clarification came on 6 May 2025 via a joint statement from their press secretaries, who emphasised that the ministers had no personal or professional dealings with Su.

They confirmed that the ministers were present at social gatherings where Su also appeared, but noted these were attended at the invitation of a friend.

“Ministers Ong Ye Kung and Chee Hong Tat were pictured at dinners where Fujian gang member Su Haijin was also present,” the statement read.

“They attended the dinners at the invitation of a friend, and Su happened to be there… They do not know Su personally and have had no contact or dealings with him, before or since.”

In the same statement, the ministers’ press secretaries reiterated the ruling party’s stance on ethical standards: “The PAP government upholds a high standard of integrity and the ministers are determined to uphold this… Maintaining this standard is non-negotiable.”

While the appearance of the photos, which are undated, has generated discussion online, there is no evidence that any of the attendees were aware of Su’s criminal conduct at the time of the dinner.

The photos, shared online by former Reform Party chairman Charles Yeo, include one showing Ong alongside several prominent individuals, including former PAP minister Lim Swee Say, businessman Sam Goi, billionaire Oei Hong Leong, and UOB-Kay Hian Chairman Wee Ee Chao. A separate image shows Chee with Su, while another shows NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng posing with Su.

Neither Lim nor Ng has publicly commented on their appearance in the images.

As of the time of writing, other individuals shown in the photographs—including Goi, Oei, and Wee—have also not publicly commented on the event. There is no indication of any wrongdoing on their part.

A separate image, believed to have been taken at the same event where Ng’s photo appears to have been taken—at a private dinner at TungLok Signatures at Orchard Rendezvous Hotel—appeared in a 2023 Lianhe Zaobao report about Su’s arrest.

Although differently framed and cropped, the setting and Su’s attire suggest it was captured at the same dinner. In that report, Su was described as having a penchant for displaying wealth and hosting high-profile parties.

Su, a Cypriot national, was arrested during coordinated police operations targeting money laundering suspects on 15 August 2023. He became the second of ten individuals arrested to be convicted in what has become Singapore’s largest anti-money laundering investigation.

He was charged with the following offences:

1. One count of resistance to lawful apprehension under Section 225B of the Penal Code 1871 (“the Penal Code”);
2. Three counts of money laundering offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (“CDSA”);
3. Three counts of conspiring with one Wang Junjie for the use of forged documents under Section 471 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code;
4. Four counts of conspiring with one Wang Junjie to make false representations under Section 424A read with Section 109 of the Penal Code; and
5. Three counts of false declaration under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990.

Court proceedings revealed that Su attempted to evade arrest by jumping from the second-floor balcony of his home at 16 Ewart Park. Despite suffering injuries to both feet and his wrist, he managed to flee through a side gate before being found hiding in a drain.

Approximately S$170 million in assets were seized from Su, including cash, luxury vehicles, and high-value goods.

Investigations revealed that Su was the director and sole shareholder of Yihao Cyber Technologies, a shell company registered in Singapore but with no legitimate operations. The company’s address in the Marina area was used only for receiving mail and was otherwise occupied by an unrelated business.

Su used the company to open corporate bank accounts with OCBC, DBS, and UOB, relying on falsified financial documents and business agreements produced in collaboration with Wang from LW Business Consultancy.

He obtained an employment pass in 2017 for his role as CEO of Yihao Cyber Technologies, with renewals supported by fictitious revenue declarations. The financial statements were also submitted to banks as part of compliance requirements.

In 2021, the company received nearly S$2.4 million from an overseas entity involved in remote gambling, which Su claimed was payment for IT and website services. Authorities found no supporting documentation or operational evidence.

Shortly after the funds were received, S$2.35 million was withdrawn and transferred to other accounts. By the time of Su’s arrest, only S$1.4 million remained in the accounts and was seized by authorities.

The broader investigation into the syndicate—allegedly linked to the Fujian gang, a criminal network based in China—has led to over S$3 billion (US$2.2 billion) in assets being seized or frozen.

Su was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment in April 2024. He was released and deported to Cambodia on 28 May 2024.

Based on the timeline of his arrest in August 2023 and standard sentencing practices in Singapore, it is understood that his sentence was backdated to account for time spent in remand. Under the Conditional Remission System, inmates may be released after serving two-thirds of their sentence, subject to good conduct.

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