Man charged with forgery offences, cheating ex-colleague of almost S$4m
A man was charged in court on Thursday (Aug 31) with conning an ex-colleague of almost S$4 million over more than two years, as well as a raft of forgery-related offences. iStock photo
SINGAPORE — A man was charged in court on Thursday (Aug 31) with conning an ex-colleague of almost S$4 million over more than two years, as well as a raft of forgery-related offences.
Cheong Eh Meng, 54, faces 221 charges of cheating Mr Tan Huck Shoon Eddy, forging official documents and possessing counterfeit seals to keep up his scam.
Among other things, Cheong is accused of tricking Mr Tan into paying US$5,000 (S$6,200) in June 2011 to “secure (Cheong’s) release” from “detention” in Clark, the Philippines. Both men’s occupations and employer at the time of the alleged offences were not mentioned.
Cheong allegedly forged documents including orders and bills from the Supreme Court, the then-Subordinate Courts, and the Insolvency & Public Trustee’s Office of Singapore. According to his charge sheets, some of the documents sought payment for “court fees” related to proceedings in foreign jurisdictions such as Beijing, Macau and the Philippines.
To facilitate his ruse, Cheong purportedly signed and sealed these orders using the names of actual individuals, such as Judge of Appeal Steven Chong, who was Attorney-General during the time of Cheong’s alleged offences.
Cheong’s wife, Mdm Hong Yeen Mei, was listed as an accomplice in the bulk of charges against him. The duo are said to have conspired to cheat Mr Tan into transferring his funds to their bank accounts, but she has not been charged.
According to a police news release, Cheong had scammed Mr Tan into believing that he would make substantial gains in an “investment”, or receive huge payouts, after paying the “penalties” and “charges” imposed by the authorities.
No plea was taken from Cheong on Thursday, but he told the court he was “truly remorseful” and intends to plead guilty. Now a part-time valet, he said he would seek legal aid in pleading for a lenient sentence.
The prosecution has offered to proceed with 30 charges and have the rest taken into consideration for sentencing, if he pleads guilty. He will appear in court again on Sept 28.
Cheong was offered bail of S$250,000 but TODAY understands he was unable to find a bailor. If convicted, he could be jailed up to 10 years and/or fined for each count of cheating, forgery and possession of counterfeit seals.
