money laundering case: accused zhang ruijin denied bail a second time
updated 2023年12月11日 下午9:47 sgt
singapore – a judge has denied bail for zhang ruijin, one of the accused in a $2.8 billion money laundering case, saying the length of investigations is not so inordinately long as to prejudice zhang.
he was arrested on aug 15 and has been in custody since.
the hearing on dec 11 was his second application for bail.
zhang’s lawyer eugene thuraisingam told the court on dec 11 that the prosecution cannot continue to rely on the argument that there is a risk of collusion while investigations are ongoing, to deny his client bail.
“my client has been remanded for four months and the prosecution is unable to state when investigations will end. my client cannot be remanded indefinitely,” he said.
deputy public prosecutor gan ee kiat said it has only been about 1½ months since zhang’s previous bail review in october, and the “mere passage of time” does not constitute a material change in the accused’s circumstances to justify granting him bail.
he added that the investigation officer has scheduled three interviews with zhang later in december, and plans to schedule more sessions with him in january 2024.
dpp gan said: “this case is very complex; there are many moving parts with nine other accused persons and some people of interest overseas.
“we are doing all we can to expedite investigations, but the authorities will need more time. we cannot commit to a timeline at the moment.”
the dpp added that based on affidavits by the investigating officers, there is evidence to show zhang is linked to other accused persons in the case and that there are several individuals overseas helping him manage his wealth.
“the accused has not identified (those overseas individuals) satisfactorily and the risk of collusion and contamination of evidence is very much at play,” he said.
the court previously heard that zhang, a 44-year-old chinese national, and another accused in the case, lin baoying, were lovers. the pair have known each other for more than a decade and their combined assets in singapore come to about $325 million, according to affidavits by investigating officers on the case.
lin, a 44-year-old chinese national, has about $215.5 million in assets seized or frozen by the authorities. for zhang, the amount in assets seized or frozen is at least $109.8 million.
zhang faces three charges of forgery, while lin faces two charges of forgery and one of perverting the course of justice.
they were arrested in a bungalow at pearl island in sentosa cove in august as part of police raids, which led to 10 people being charged in singapore’s largest money laundering probe.
according to the affidavits, lin has a 15-year-old daughter who lives in beach road with a domestic helper, while she lives with zhang in sentosa.
zhang and lin were denied bail on oct 18 on the basis that they are flight risks, with multiple passports each.
in denying zhang bail on dec 11, district judge brenda tan said that it remains that the accused faces serious charges and is a flight risk.
she said: “the law is clear in that once a bail application has been rejected, the court is extremely reluctant to grant bail unless the applicant is able to show new changes in circumstances or if new facts come to light.
“the defence argued that with the passage of time, the risk of the accused colluding with others and contaminating evidence should be given lesser weight.
“i am not satisfied that this constitutes a material change in circumstances and the accused should not be granted bail.”
s$2.8b money laundering case: suspect denied bail a 3rd time after judge rules remand period not too long
- zhang ruijin returned to court to apply for bail on the grounds that the time he has spent in remand has been too long
- zhang initially asked for bail when he was charged in august, but this was denied
- he applied for a bail review in october but this was refused on the basis of the serious charges against him, the risk of collusion with co-accused persons and that he is a flight risk
- in his latest application, the prosecution argued that the lapse of time alone cannot be a factor to justify the granting of bail
- the judge declined to grant bail, saying the investigation was not so inordinately long as to prejudice zhang
singapore — returning to court about six weeks after his last bail review, zhang ruijin, who is accused of playing a role in a s$2.8 billion money laundering case, has been denied bail for a third time.
the 45-year-old chinese national faces three counts of forgery and was arrested on aug 15 alongside co-accused and alleged lover lin baoying at a sentosa cove bungalow.
a total of 10 people stand accused of playing a role in the money laundering case.
on monday (dec 11), zhang appeared in court through a video-link to again seek bail, this time on the grounds that his period in remand has dragged on for too long.
zhang initially asked to be released on bail when he was arrested on aug 16 but was denied.
he applied for a bail review on oct 18, but this was rejected on the basis of the serious charges against him, the risk of collusion with co-accused persons and that he is a flight risk.
on nov 20, zhang attended a hearing to apply for bail but this was adjourned after the prosecution argued that the application was made without notice.
this time, zhang’s lawyer eugene thuraisingam applied for bail on the grounds that the period in which zhang had been held in remand amounts to a change in circumstances.
mr thuraisingam argued that at some point in time, it must become too long for an accused person to remain in remand pending investigation.
“it is a change in circumstances because there is a presumption of innocence and the prosecution cannot be allowed to indefinitely say that investigations are ongoing,” he said.
mr thuraisingam added that the court should now reconsider bail based on the seriousness of the charges zhang faces and whether he is a flight risk.
he said that the court should give only limited weight to the prosecution’s argument that zhang represents a risk of colluding with other accused persons and the pending investigations.
in response, deputy public prosecutor (dpp) gan ee kiat argued that lapse of time alone cannot be a factor and that 1.5 months since the last bail review was not so long as to justify the granting of bail.
he also disagreed with mr thuraisingam’s point about the risk of collusion having lost its weight, as the entire point in denying bail is that zhang might tamper with evidence or collude with witnesses.
“it is an important consideration when it comes to his relationship with the other accused persons, of which there is evidence, and the fact that there are several individuals overseas who are helping him manage his wealth and businesses that have yet to be identified,” said dpp gan.
after hearing from both sides, district judge brenda tan declined to grant bail.
she said: “in my view, the fact that he has been in remand for about four months cannot be considered a material change in circumstances and it has only been 1.5 months since the last bail review.
“i say that the time has not come where the length of investigation in this case is so inordinately long that it is prejudicial to the accused.”
zhang is set to return to court via video-link on jan 12 for a pre-trial conference.
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