Suspect who allegedly facilitated Chew Eng Han’s escape plan revisits crime scene
SINGAPORE – A man who allegedly received money from City Harvest Church (CHC) former fund manager Chew Eng Han to facilitate the latter' s escape from Singapore last week was taken back to the scene of his alleged offence at Marine Drive by the police on Tuesday (Feb 27).
Malaysian Khoo Kea Leng is escorted to the scene, where his transaction between ex-City Harvest Church fund manager Chew Eng Han took place, at Marine Drive on Feb 27, 2018. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY
SINGAPORE – A man who allegedly received money from City Harvest Church (CHC) former fund manager Chew Eng Han to facilitate the latter' s escape from Singapore last week was taken back to the scene of his alleged offence at Marine Drive by the police on Tuesday (Feb 27).
Khoo Kea Leng, dressed in a T-shirt and board shorts, was escorted by four police officers to a carpark between blocks 75 and 76 Marine Drive, where he was questioned for about five minutes. The offence had allegedly taken place in either carpark lot 85 or 86.
The 46-year-old Malaysian was arrested in Pekan Nanas, Pontian, by the Royal Malaysia Police and handed over to the Singapore authorities on Monday. The courts here had issued a warrant for his arrest last week.
TODAY understands that Khoo has received a sum – amounting to thousands – from Chew at the carpark during the Chinese New Year holiday, in exchange for facilitating an arrangement with boatman Tan Poh Teck.
Chew, 57, had tried unsuccessfully to flee Singapore from Pulau Ubin in a motorised sampan last Wednesday morning, a day before he was due to start serving a sentence of three years and four months for misusing more than S$50 million of church funds.
He was charged the next day for attempting to leave Singapore from an unauthorised point of departure without reasonable cause. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to six months and fined up to S$2,000.
Khoo is the fourth suspect to be arrested in relation to Chew's bid to escape. He is expected to be charged in court on Wednesday.
The boatman, Tan, 53, and Chew's elder brother, Chew Eng Soon, 61, were arrested last week.
Tan was charged last Thursday with abetting in Chew Eng Han's attempt to escape, while the elder Chew, who was arrested on the same day as his brother, is now on bail.
The younger Chew had earlier been convicted, along with five other former CHC leaders including its founder Kong Hee, for criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts involving more than S$50 million of church funds. He was due to start his jail term on Feb 22, after being allowed a deferment to spend Chinese New Year with his family.
Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the top features, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.
By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.
