Court’s decision to free Dan Tan ‘will compromise peace, good order of Singapore’

SINGAPORE — A former INTERPOL chief and an ex-FIFA top graft-buster today (Nov 25) slammed the apex court’s decision to release alleged match fixer Tan Seet Eng, also known as Dan Tan.

Tan is wanted in several countries and had been identified by INTERPOL as the leader of an international match-fixing ring.

Posting on Twitter after the judgment was released today, Mr Ronald Noble, who stepped down as INTERPOL secretary-general in November last year, said: “Singaporean’s corruption of sport and business outside of Singapore does not affect its good order. Wrong!”

Speaking to TODAY, Mr Noble said that peace and good order will be compromised if Singapore continues to “shelter in its midst international organised crime groups”. He added: “Match-fixing is a corruption like cancer, dangerous whether it is visible or not ... Today’s decision should make us all question whether international match-fixing based in Singapore can be stopped. If it can’t, the rest of the world will continue to pay the price.”

In 2013, Mr Noble had praised the Singapore authorities’ commitment to eradicate match-fixing, particularly the crackdown on Tan and 13 others, whom he described as “the world’s largest and most aggressive match-fixing syndicate, with tentacles reaching every continent and the mastermind was someone many believed was untouchable”.

“I was really proud that Singapore conducted this investigation on its soil, using its own laws and resources and we were able to bring some of the people to justice,” Mr Noble had said.

Former FIFA Head of Security Chris Eaton, who was also from Interpol, called the Court of Appeal’s ruling “out of touch”. He said it will put the Republic “back into the firing line” as a target of criticism by the global sporting community.

“While Dan Tan was in Singapore, no doubt using Singaporean communication facilities and public places to plan and engage people to do unlawful acts outside of Singapore, that is okay, just so long as Singapore is okay! This is the sort of attitude that turned the world of sport into roundly criticising Singapore as hypocritical by not showing good global citizenship,” said Mr Eaton, who is currently executive director for Sport Integrity at the International Center for Sport Security.

Echoing Mr Noble, Mr Eaton said the apex court’s decision “confirms the worst international fears” that Singaporeans who commit international crimes can be off the hook “so long as Singapore and Singaporeans are not directly affected”.

Calling for the extra-territorial laws here to be reviewed in sync with “global realities”, Mr Eaton said: “If your economy and reputation are internationalised, you must have a duty of care to that global marketplace, not just your own borders. How very selective it is to take all of the advantage, but none of the care ... If your law doesn’t fit a modern world, fix it now so it does, just like Dan Tan fixed football matches.”