Ng Chee Meng met Fujian gang member Su Haijin at engagement session, had no further interactions

SINGAPORE: Labour chief Ng Chee Meng said on Tuesday (May 6) that he had met convicted money launderer Su Haijin during an engagement session, but had no further interactions with him after he learnt about the police investigations and criminal charges.

"As the secretary-general of NTUC, it is part of my work to engage with different companies and private sector leaders. These engagements help me better understand the concerns and challenges in different industries," Mr Ng said in response to media queries.

"At these engagements, people would often approach me for photographs. This dinner was one such engagement. It took place some time back."

A photo of Mr Ng and Su at a dinner was posted online by former Reform Party chairman Charles Yeo. Su was one of the 10 people convicted in the billion-dollar money laundering case last year.

Mr Ng was recently elected as Member of Parliament for Jalan Kayu Single Member Constituency (SMC), in what was the closest contest of the General Election.

Pictures of Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat with Su were also posted online by Yeo.

Earlier on Tuesday, the ministers' press secretaries said the ministers do not know Su personally and have no dealings with him.

“There are some photos circulating, in which Ministers Ong Ye Kung and Chee Hong Tat were pictured at dinners where Fujian gang member Su Haijin was also present,” the press secretaries said in a joint statement.

“As ministers, they meet a diverse range of people at various events and gatherings. 

“They attended the dinners at the invitation of a friend, and Su happened to be there. Minister Ong recalls that months later, at another dinner, Su happened to be there too.”

Local businessman Sam Goi, also known as Singapore's "Popiah King", told Bloomberg on Tuesday that he had organised and paid for the meals the ministers and Mr Ng attended.

"It's all for friends and I paid for them all," the owner and executive chairman of Tee Yih Jia Food Manufacturing reportedly said.

Mr Goi said the meals took place "around 2020" before Singapore implemented COVID-19 restrictions.

He added that he has not kept in touch with Su, who had been a director at Singapore-listed restaurant company No Signboard Holdings.

According to the Bloomberg report, Goi also had a minority stake in the company, which is now called Bromat Holdings.

"It all happened a long time ago," Mr Goi told Bloomberg, referring to the gatherings. "Let it drop."

FUJIAN GANG MEMBER

Su, a Cypriot national, was sentenced to 14 months' jail in April last year. 

He was the man who jumped off a balcony during a raid in August 2023 to arrest suspects linked to Singapore's largest money laundering case. 

In total, more than S$3 billion (US$2.2 billion) in assets have been seized or frozen in the case.

The 10 people arrested were reportedly part of the Fujian gang, an organised crime syndicate based in Fujian, China.

Fugitive lawyer and former Reform Party chairman Yeo fled Singapore after criminal charges were filed against him in August 2022.

He is currently out on bail in the UK, where he faces an extradition hearing after Singapore requested that he be sent back.