Half of the gang involved in the S$3 billion money laundering case have been released from prison and deported, and are not allowed to enter Singapore again

Three more members of the 3-billion-dollar money laundering gang have completed their sentences and have been immediately deported upon release.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority confirmed that Su Baolin (14-month sentence) and Su Haijin (14-month sentence) were deported to Cambodia on May 25 and 28 respectively. Wang Shuiming, who was sentenced to 13 months and six weeks, was deported to Japan the day before yesterday (June 1).

Including Su Wenqiang and Wang Baosen, who were deported to Cambodia on May 6, half of the members of the largest money laundering gang in Singapore's history have now been released after serving their sentences.

After being deported, they are all prohibited from re-entering Singapore.

Unlike Wang Baosen, Su Haijin, and the other two who were deported to Cambodia, Wang Shuiming was deported to Japan.

Previously, Wang Shuiming admitted during the investigation that he possessed a Cambodian passport, but the police did not find this passport, which might be the reason he was not deported to Cambodia. The prosecution revealed in court that Wang Shuiming also holds passports from Turkey, China, and Vanuatu.

According to Wang Shuiming, he obtained passports from Turkey and Vanuatu through donations.

Last September, Home Affairs Minister Shanmugam stated that individuals involved in money laundering cases, once convicted, would serve their sentences in Singapore. After completing their sentences, they would be deported to the country of their passport or sent back to a country that has an extradition agreement with Singapore.

According to online information, holders of Turkish passports can enter Japan visa-free for 90 days.

Sentences of Defendants in Money Laundering Case

Previously, many people left comments saying that although the amount of money involved in the money laundering case was enormous, the sentences seemed relatively short, and even half of the individuals have already been released. Here, I would like to explain this briefly.

Sentences are Determined by the Charges Admitted by the Defendants

Many defendants in the money laundering case faced more than ten charges, but when the judge determines the sentence, it is based on the charges they have admitted to. For example, Su Wenqiang faced a total of 11 charges, including eight charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, one charge of possessing forged documents or electronic records, and two charges under the Foreign Manpower Employment Act. Su Wenqiang admitted to two of these charges. Therefore, when the judge determined the sentence, it was based solely on the two charges he admitted to, while the remaining nine charges were only considered during the sentencing process.

Concurrent Sentencing

Taking the example of Su Wenqiang, the judge found him guilty of two charges, sentencing him to 12 and 13 months in prison, respectively. However, his sentences are served concurrently, meaning he will be released after serving 13 months.

It's important to note that not all sentences can be served concurrently. For instance, in last year's widely publicized case involving Xiaoxian Nv, after the defendant pleaded guilty, the judge ordered the sentences for the three charges to be served consecutively. This included two weeks for pushing a security guard, three weeks for submitting a false application, and five days for insulting a nurse, totaling five weeks and five days of imprisonment.

Sentence Calculation Starts from the Day of Detention

The 10-person money laundering gang has been in police custody since August 15 of last year, and their sentences began from the day they were detained. Thus, by the time they were sentenced, they had already served more than six months of their sentences.

Good Behavior Can Reduce Sentence

Some may wonder, even if counting from August 15 of last year, it's less than 10 months—how is it that Su Wenqiang, who was sentenced to 13 months, has already been released? This is because in Singapore, inmates can reduce their sentences by approximately one-third for good behavior. Therefore, Su Wenqiang was released after serving just over eight months.