Additional charges levelled against seven alleged syndicate members in S$40m SkillsFuture fraud

Out of the 13 members of the alleged criminal syndicate allegedly involved in an S$40 million SkillsFuture fraud, seven faced additional charges on January 28, Monday.

From these seven individuals, four are said to be “key members” who left the country before investigations from the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) had begun, according to a report from Today.

In order to make training grant claims with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), the alleged criminal gang made use of nine business agencies made up of employers and training providers. SSG paid out almost S$40 million in training grants to these entities in a half-year period.

This scam is believed to be the biggest public institution defraudment in the country’s history.

At present, the 13 syndicate members are facing charges of forgery, cheating, perversion of justice and money laundering. The additional charges to be made on Monday include the use of forged documents, cheating, failure to exercise reasonable diligence as directors of the business entities and criminal conspiracy.

The police said in a statement to the press on Sunday, January 27, that they had the cooperation and assistance of officials in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China in capturing the four syndicate members who left Singapore.

“Crime is increasingly complex and transnational, and we need to collaborate closely with law enforcement partners overseas to bring criminals to justice. The successful return of the suspects to Singapore is a testament to our strong partnership with our foreign counterparts,” said Director CAD David Chew.

Read related: $40M SkillsFuture fraud: Eight more charged; $20M still unaccounted for

https://theindependent.sg.sg/40m-skillsfuture-fraud-eight-more-charged-20m-still-unaccounted-for/