12 Malaysians arrested in cross-border operation for money laundering in Johor, main suspect to face trial in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Aug 19 — Twelve Malaysians have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in money laundering activities using Singaporean bank accounts in a joint operation by Malaysian and Singaporean police at two locations in Johor.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that following a raid conducted by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) and the Johor Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) on August 9, a 22-year-old Malaysian was extradited to the Republic on Sunday (August 18).

“Through lengthy investigation and evidence gathering, a money laundering cell operating in Johor was identified.

“The suspect is suspected of bringing foreigners into Singapore to open bank accounts to facilitate money laundering activities related to fraud,” a statement said.

The Street times (ST) reported that the suspect, Besmond Huan Yu Kang, was indicted by a district court on Monday.

He is alleged to have conspired with an accomplice, Tan Kang Yung, and others to obtain the usernames and passwords of bank accounts in Singapore.

Huan is currently in pretrial detention and his case will be heard on August 23, ST reported.

If found guilty, he faces a fine and up to three years in prison.

CAD Director David Chew said the SPF will continue to work closely with its Malaysian counterpart to track and deter transnational syndicates that use the internet to commit crimes and launder money through the banking system.

“Scams remain a concern. This syndicate, allegedly involved in providing Singapore bank accounts for use by the money laundering unit, was a key player in the illicit movement of funds derived from scams.

“These accounts were used to launder the proceeds of various fraud schemes through Singapore’s financial system,” he said.

Chew thanked Johor police chief CP M. Kumar and officers of the Johor CCID for their support and dedication in tackling transnational criminal syndicates. — Bernama