Lawyer in missing millions case gets another 12 charges involving embezzling of S$33.8m

SINGAPORE: A lawyer who has been receiving criminal charges since June last year was given another 12 charges on Monday (Feb 24) involving S$33.8 million in total, the first time he has been charged over the missing millions.

Jeffrey Ong Su Aun, the 42-year-old managing director at law firm JLC Advisors, was handed 11 charges of embezzling S$33.8 million between October 2017 and August 2018.

The amounts were in sums of about S$10,000 to S$12.2 million, charge sheets showed.

He is accused of criminal breach of trust by dishonestly misappropriating the sums, while the money was entrusted to him in his capacity as a solicitor at JLC Advisors.

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The money belonged to engineering firm Allied Technologies, and was held in escrow - where funds are held by a law firm while two or more parties complete a transaction.

He was also given one charge of forging the signature of a senior partner at his firm on a cheque in April 2019.

Ong, who is defended by lawyer Jennifer Sia from NLC Law Asia, appeared in court via video link looking slimmer and with stubble on his face.

The prosecution asked for six weeks' adjournment, saying the Commercial Affairs Department is still conducting investigations "and trying to finalise everything".

The judge granted an adjournment to Apr 7.

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READ: CAD raids Allied Tech, interviews executive director over missing S$33 million

With Monday's hearing, Ong now faces 38 charges - ranging from cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust.

He had fled the country and was arrested in Malaysia with the help of the Royal Malaysia Police in May last year.

This was after Allied Tech filed a police report over an unauthorised payout of S$33 million from its escrow account.

After Allied Tech confirmed the news in a Singapore Exchange filing on May 23, the Law Society issued a notice of intervention into JLC's client accounts and later took over control of funds held by JLC.

Ong, who is remanded, faces jail terms of up to 20 years and a fine per charge of criminal breach of trust as an attorney, if found guilty.