Su Wenqiang, arrested for money laundering, faces charges after evading Chinese authorities since 2017.
SINGAPORE – In a major money laundering case, Su Wenqiang, a Cambodian national, was revealed to have been a fugitive from Chinese authorities when he arrived in Singapore in 2021. Su, arrested on August 15 at a good class bungalow in Bukit Timah, is one of the individuals involved in what is considered Singapore’s largest money laundering case.
Su faces two money laundering charges, including one for allegedly possessing $601,706, which is believed to be the proceeds of criminal activity, and another for purchasing a Mercedes-Benz worth $500,000 using funds obtained from illegal online gambling activities targeting Chinese citizens. His crimes are connected to a remote gambling operation run from the Philippines and Cambodia. The gambling service was reportedly provided to Chinese nationals, which is illegal under Chinese law.
At a bail hearing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Edwin Soh argued that Su’s application for bail should be denied due to his status as a fugitive, noting that he was still on the run from Chinese authorities for illegal gambling activities dating back to 2017. His lawyer, Sameer Amir Melber, contended that Su had moved to Singapore with his family for better educational opportunities for his children, aged five and six. However, the court rejected the bail application, citing Su’s international connections, including passports from Cambodia, China, and Vanuatu, and his lack of deep roots in Singapore.
Su was involved in the operation of a remote lottery business targeting gamblers from China, communicating with accomplices via encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram. Several of Su’s accomplices are still at large, with Singaporean authorities actively seeking their whereabouts.
In addition to his personal assets, over $2.8 billion worth of assets have been seized in connection with the case, including 152 properties, 62 vehicles, and significant amounts of cryptocurrency, gold, luxury items, and bank funds. This makes the case one of the largest money laundering schemes in the world.
Su’s case has garnered significant attention due to the scale of the operation, and authorities have since moved to seize various properties and assets linked to the suspects involved.
