Seven members of gang believed to be behind S$40m SkillsFuture fraud to face additional charges

SINGAPORE — Seven of 13 members of an alleged criminal syndicate accused of a S$40 million SkillsFuture fraud will be slapped with additional charges on Monday (Jan 28).

Four of these seven were described as “key members” who fled Singapore before the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) had commenced investigations.

The alleged syndicate used nine business entities, comprising both training providers and employers, to make training grant claims with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

Close to S$40 million of training grants was paid out by SSG to the nine entities over six months, in a scam believed to be the largest defraudment of a public institution.

The 13 accused have been charged in Court for offences that include cheating, forgery, money laundering and perversion of justice.

The additional charges that will be tendered against the seven on Monday include for criminal conspiracy, cheating, use of forged documents and failure to exercise reasonable diligence as directors of the business entities.

In a media statement, the police said that they worked with foreign counterparts in China, Hong Kong and Malaysia to nab the four who fled.

Director CAD David Chew said: “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 testament to our strong partnership with our foreign counterparts.”