In Singapore, jailed leader of remote gambling syndicate with links to Malaysia hit with RM13.6m confiscation order

SINGAPORE, Dec 11 — A 68-year-old Singaporean man, Lean Kay Cheong, was ordered by the Singapore High Court to pay S$4.12 million (RM13.6 million) after a confiscation order was granted against him for his role in providing remote gambling services.

Channel News Asia (CNA) reported that the order, issued on November 20, follows Lean’s 2021 conviction for his involvement in illegal gambling activities.

Lean, who was arrested in 2016, was found to have accumulated unexplained wealth through investments, insurance policies, and properties, all disproportionate to his known income.

Singapore police revealed that he was a key leader in a syndicate offering online lottery and horse betting since 2007, which had links to Malaysia.

Lean’s operations involved 95 agents, including a newspaper vendor, Or Poon Soh, who was convicted in 2018 for his role in collecting illegal bets.

In 2021, Lean was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined S$447,000 under the Remote Gambling and Organised Crime Acts.

The confiscation order is part of efforts to prevent criminals from profiting from their illicit activities.