SINGAPORE: Man accused of cheating on woman into transferring S $ 1.5 million to bank account for S $ 15 million loan said in court on Friday (January 7) that he was a “man respectable business “who had successfully completed multi-million dollar development projects. .
Wong Poh Kun, 68, said, “So why would I cheat on someone for a small sum of S $ 1.5 million? It just doesn’t make sense.”
On Friday, Wong was charged with cheating. He is accused of cheating on a woman on February 27 last year, into believing that the S $ 1.5 million she was transferring to the Asia Alternative Fund bank account was intended for a loan from S $ 15 million.
The victim then transferred the S $ 1.5 million to a DBS bank account.
A police press release issued on Thursday said the victim filed a report in July last year saying she wanted a S $ 15 million loan and was asked to pay 1 , S $ 5 million to a loan broker to secure the loan.
In return, she would allegedly receive the loan in installments. Police said in their statement that S $ 1.25 million of the S $ 1.5 million was believed to have been kept by the suspect with the remainder being paid to the loan broker.
The suspect then remained unreachable and would not have honored the loan. Officers carried out an operation and arrested the man two days ago, seizing his electronic devices.
Preliminary inquiries indicate he is allegedly involved in other similar cases, police said.
On Friday, the prosecutor requested that Wong be remanded in custody for a week for investigation. She said it is required for raids to collect exhibits and for site visits.
Wong, who was not pictured, said he had previously had colon cancer and was due for a colonoscopy, adding that he suffered from high blood pressure and chest pain.
“So, to keep me in pre-trial detention, I realize that is not fair, because I have cooperated with the IO (investigating officer) at all levels,” he said.
He said he could be placed in the hospital so that the police could still contact him.
“I do not agree to be fired for a further period as I have ongoing business transactions that I need to do in order to reimburse the complainant,” he said.
He claimed he went through a mitigation process with the victim in court, with a settlement agreement prepared.
“I had time to make the payment to her by next week, so I need the time to make all of these… arrangements so that I can settle the payment with her,†Wong said. “This case wouldn’t be necessary then.”
He added that he has been “a respectable businessman in Singapore” in recent years, carrying out multi-million dollar development projects in Singapore, Malaysia and China.
“So why should I cheat on someone for a small sum of S $ 1.5 million? It doesn’t make sense. Since we’ve already come to a point of agreement… I felt that. .. the charge against me is without merit, “he said.
The judge said this was not the right forum for him to “decide whether it makes sense to you or not,†but ordered the investigator to ensure that Wong has access to medical care if needed.
If convicted of cheating, Wong can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
He is expected to return to court next month, when he is expected to be faced with a new bankruptcy charge.
