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Third man charged with alleged role in Chew Eng Han’s failed escape bid

SINGAPORE — A second Malaysian man accused of helping former City Harvest Church fund manager Chew Eng Han to flee the country in February was charged in court on Monday (April 16).

(Left) Former City Harvest Church fund manager Chew Eng Han, along with the motorised sampan he allegedly tried to flee Singapore in.

(Left) Former City Harvest Church fund manager Chew Eng Han, along with the motorised sampan he allegedly tried to flee Singapore in.

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SINGAPORE — A second Malaysian man accused of helping former City Harvest Church fund manager Chew Eng Han to flee the country in February was charged in court on Monday (April 16).

Tan Kim Ho, also known as Rayson Tan, 42, faces one charge of making arrangements for Chew to illegally leave Singapore for Malaysia at 8.47am on Feb 21. He was arrested last Friday (April 13) by the Malaysian authorities and handed over to the Singapore police the next day.

He will be remanded for one week for investigations and will next appear in court on April 23.

He is the fourth person to be nabbed and third to be charged in connection with Chew's failed escape bid — boatman Tan Poh Teck and Malaysian Khoo Kea Leng have been caught and charged. Chew's older brother Eng Soon, who is currently out on police bail, was arrested but has not been charged yet.

Khoo, 46, was sentenced to six months' jail last Thursday after he admitted to abetting Chew by engaging in a conspiracy with him on Feb 20 to leave Singapore from Pulau Ubin, which is an unauthorised point of departure. Chew, 57, was arrested by Police Coast Guard officers about 2.4 nautical miles east of the Pulau Ubin Main Jetty in a motorised sampan.

During Khoo's sentencing, the prosecution had pointed out that Tan Kim Ho carried the most culpability for the alleged offence, as compared with the boatman and Khoo.

According to Khoo's court documents, Khoo had contacted him to ask if he knew of anyone who could help Chew skip town.

Tan Kim Ho was then said to have replied that he could arrange for Chew — who was convicted along with five others of misappropriating church funds and/or falsification of accounts — to leave Singapore illegally via a boat for S$8,000.

Khoo told Chew of this arrangement, and they agreed on paying S$12,000 for Chew to flee Singapore.

Khoo would keep S$4,000 for himself, give S$4,000 to Tan Kim Ho, and pay the boatman Tan Poh Teck S$4,000 for taking Chew to Malaysia.

The boatman has been charged with abetting Chew to flee the country, as well as allegedly assisting two other men to illegally leave Singapore.

According to court documents, Tan Kim Ho purportedly advised Chew to prepare a cap and fishing equipment so it seemed like he was going fishing — in order to avoid detection.

The day before Chew's attempted escape, Khoo and Tan Kim Ho met up at a coffee shop in Taman Sentosa, Johor Baru, where Khoo paid him his share. Khoo was subsequently arrested almost a week later by the Malaysian authorities.

Chew began serving his sentence of three years and four months for criminal breach of trust on March 1. He also faces one charge of attempting to leave Singapore from an unauthorised point of departure without reasonable cause, and another charge of attempting to defeat the course of justice.

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