SINGAPORE — Former City Harvest Church (CHC) fund manager Chew Eng Han was found guilty on Wednesday (Dec 12) of attempting to flee the country on a motorised sampan the day before he was due to start serving his jail term of three years and four months.

He was also convicted of trying to defeat the course of justice.

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Chew will return to court on Jan 29 for sentencing.

The 58-year-old, who showed up in court in purple prison garb and wearing a pair of black-framed spectacles, appeared expressionless when District Judge Victor Yeo passed the verdict.

His lawyer, Mr Adrian Wee of Characterist LLC, will next make submissions to seek a lighter sentence for his client.

'TERRIBLE MISTAKE'

In his closing submissions for the trial, Mr Wee said that while Chew’s actions were “misguided and ethically wrong”, the question of whether his conduct is criminal cannot be answered by “starting at the end and working backwards”.

This is because the Police Coast Guard — who arrested Chew after acting on a tip-off — were working on the assumption that his client was headed straight for Malaysian waters, he told the court. 

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What the police did not know at the time, Mr Wee pointed out, was that the accused was travelling to a cluster of fishing villages off the north-east coast of Pulau Ubin — a point well within Singapore waters.

Chew made a “terrible mistake” in making plans to leave Singapore as he was tormented by the thought of serving a long prison sentence, but “realised soon after” that his actions were wrong, he added.

“The accused’s acts up to the point of his arrest (culminating in him being on board the first boat en route to a point B) do not amount to embarking on the crime proper,” he said, adding that Chew cannot be said to have attempted to leave Singapore.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Sng, however, argued that the attempt to leave Singapore had been “made out” even if he was not on board the vessel that would ultimately take him to Malaysia.

To say that a person can only be guilty of an attempt if he was on the active vessel to leave was “misconceived”, DPP Sng added.

With Wednesday’s ruling, Chew — who was previously convicted for his role in the largest case of misuse of charitable funds in Singapore's history — now faces another jail term of up to three-and-a-half years for attempting to intentionally defeat the course of justice. And for attempting to skip town, he could be jailed up to six months, fined up to S$2,000, or both.

BACKGROUND ON LATEST CASE

Chew was slated to start serving his sentence on Feb 22 this year, after he was convicted of criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts involving more than S$50 million of CHC funds in 2015 alongside five others, including CHC founder Kong Hee.

On Feb 1, he sought, and was granted, a deferment to spend Chinese New Year with his family.

But on the morning of Feb 21, Chew — who was out on S$1 million bail — was nabbed at sea for trying to skip town with the help of a boatman.

He was then charged with trying to avoid serving his sentence and attempting to leave Singapore for Malaysia unlawfully via Pulau Ubin Jetty, which is not an authorised place of embarkation, departing place or point of departure.

Chew subsequently started serving his sentence for criminal breach of trust on March 1.

Although the former CHC leader initially pleaded not guilty to the two latest charges, he chose not to give evidence on the stand during his one-day trial on Sept 24, and no other defence witnesses were called.

Three other people have been dealt with for helping Chew.

Boatman and Singapore fish farm owner Tan Poh Teck, 53, was in July sentenced to 27 weeks’ jail for abetting Chew’s escape.

Malaysian freelance driver Khoo Kea Leng, 45, and Malaysian private tour guide Tan Kim Ho, 42, were each handed a six-month jail term for their roles in organising the escape.

Chew’s older brother Chew Eng Soon was also involved in the escape bid, but he has not been charged in court.