2 men taken to court over arranging bail for accused thief, who later absconded, Singapore News
Chinese national Long Zhihua, 39, was granted bail on April 1, 2025, but failed to present himself for pre-trial conferences on April 25 and May 23.
The police said that Long's bailer, 41-year-old Singaporean Wilson Ang, did not know the accused and had acted as his bailor for money.
Ang also allegedly entered into an illegal agreement with a third party to indemnify himself against any losses if Long failed to adhere to bail conditions.
He is also accused of providing false information in a police report after Long absconded, claiming he had maintained regular contact with the Chinese national before losing contact with him.
[[nid:719044]]
Wai Kei Fung, a 25-year-old Malaysian, was also taken to court alongside Ang on Tuesday.
The police said Wai had driven to the prison and fetched Long to a hotel after he was released on bail on April 1. The room which Long stayed was allegedly paid by Wai.
The younger man had also couriered Ang the $30,000 bail quantum in cash and agreed to indemnify him against any losses in his role as Long's bailor, reported CNA.
A warrant of arrest has been issued against Long and the police are working with foreign law enforcement counterparts to trace his whereabouts.
In court on Tuesday, Ang and Wai were each charged with obstructing the course of justice.
Ang was also charged with entering into an agreement to indemnify against any liability, and Wai with abetting the entering into of an agreement to indemnify against any liability.
The Singaporean was handed a third charge of providing false information with intent to cause a public servant to use his lawful power to another person.
Ang was offered $15,000 bail, according to the Straits Times, which reported that no bail was offered to Wai, who the prosecution said is a foreigner and a high flight risk.
[[nid:697687]]
lim.kewei@asiaone.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
34 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Mid-air brawl erupts on AirAsia X flight from KL to Chengdu over loud conversation
Unhappy with the loud conversations between a group of passengers seated near him on a flight, a man confronted them. Cabin crew on the AirAsia X flight eventually had to step in to defuse the situation after the two parties came to blows. The mid-air drama took place on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu on Monday (July 21) at around 10pm, said Sichuan police's airport bureau in a statement on Tuesday. Investigations found that the brawl involved the male passenger, surnamed Lu, and a group of four other passengers — two women, surnamed Meng and Zhang, and two men, surnamed Bai and Lei. The authority said the fight broke out after Lu was displeased with the volume of the group's conversation. Clips of the incident circulating online show a woman in a black and white T-shirt getting into an altercation with a man seated in the row in front of her, pulling at one of his belongings. The man retaliates, appearing to grab the woman's head, yanking her forward. Another video shows a second woman, wearing a cap and green outerwear, throwing punches at the man as a female flight attendant restrains her from behind. The flight attendant can also be overheard in the clips yelling at the passengers to remain in their seats. Both Lu and Meng sustained scratches in the commotion, said Sichuan police, adding that Lu, Meng and Zhang were detained, while Bai and Lei have been fined. In a statement to Malaysian publication Sin Chew Daily, AirAsia X confirmed the incident on board flight D7326. The Malaysian airline said its cabin crew immediately handled the situation in a manner which followed safety protocols. The incident did not affect the return flight arrangement of the aircraft. AirAsia X also said it has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that affects the flight experience, safety and comfort of others.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions
Find out what's new on ST website and app. This new lawsuit follows an earlier court battle reported by ST in September 2024. SINGAPORE – The legal battle over control of home-grown hospitality group Tipsy Collective has taken another turn. The company – now led by its majority shareholders, who gained control after a boardroom shake-up in 2024 – has filed a lawsuit against its former leadership, seeking to recover more than $14 million in losses and damages from a string of alleged wrongful payments, mismanagement and unauthorised deletions of company records. In its statement of claim filed on June 12, the plaintiffs – Tipsy Collective and three of its subsidiaries (Tipsy Bird, Social Room Concepts and Tipsy Collective Singapore) – are alleging breaches of fiduciary and contractual duties by three former directors, David Gan Jia Liang, Derek Ong and Reuben Low Kok Cherng, and former human resources manager Avril Lim Qian Jun. Mr Gan, who was the former chief executive of the group, founded Tipsy Collective with Mr Ong in 2019. Following internal disputes, the bloc of investors and shareholders who oppose Mr Gan has increased its collective stake from 59.39 per cent to 97.3 per cent, according to the latest shareholder records from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority. Mr Gan currently owns 1.66 per cent of the company's shares, and Mr Low holds 1.03 per cent. As Mr Ong died in August 2023, his wife, Ms Melody Huang Bao'er, who is the administrator of his estate, was named as the second defendant in the lawsuit. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Asia Live: Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue for second day Singapore Etomidate found in blood of 2 people involved in fatal Punggol Road accident in May: HSA Singapore More students to get Smart Buddy watches; most schools to go cashless by end-2025 Singapore Vape disposal bins at 23 CCs for users to surrender e-vaporisers, without facing penalties Business Microsoft Singapore managing director Lee Hui Li dies while on sabbatical Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly This new lawsuit follows an earlier court battle reported by The Straits Times in September 2024 , in which Mr Gan had sued eight parties – including investors and shareholders – claiming they had breached a shareholders' agreement and tried to unlawfully seize control of the company. The defendants – Indonesian investors Reino Ramaputra Barack and Santosa Kadiman, Singaporean Rudy Hartono Widjaja and four shareholder entities – rejected Mr Gan's claims. Instead, they pointed to alleged financial mismanagement under his leadership. They cited mounting debts and lack of financial transparency, and questioned the $6 million spent developing Tipsy Unicorn beach club in Sentosa. They claimed Mr Gan had caused the company to take out $8.7 million in loans, of which $6 million remained outstanding, and that the company owed $5.2 million to suppliers and nearly $1 million to Sentosa Development Corporation. Mr Gan failed to get an interim injunction to retain control of the company's board and subsequently lost his lawsuit against the investors and shareholders. On Nov 6, 2024, the board terminated his role as chief executive and removed Mr Low as director. On the same day, Mr Barack was appointed the chairman of the board of directors of Tipsy Collective. Mr Gan resigned from the board on Nov 15, 2024, while Ms Lim's last day with the company was Nov 17 of the same year. By December 2024, the financial toll of the leadership struggle had affected ground operations. More than 100 employees had faced delays in salary payments since October 2024. The company managed to settle overdue Central Provident Fund contributions and salaries only after four shareholders injected emergency funding. The group, which once operated 13 outlets, has since scaled down. At least four outlets have been shut since October 2024, and it is now left with five outlets. Now, led by its new management, Tipsy Collective is turning the tables on its former leadership with this latest suit. The first set of allegations involves unauthorised payments made. The plaintiffs allege that Mr Gan and Mr Ong caused the companies to transfer more than $4.2 million to themselves and Mr Low, or between entities, without justification. These included $1.49 million in payments, made in December 2020, and $2.8 million disbursed between June 2020 and May 2024. The suit alleged that the payments had no commercial justification and brought no benefit to the companies, and that the three former directors failed to recover the funds, causing significant losses to the group. The lawsuit also cited a string of poor business decisions that allegedly harmed the group financially. The development of Tipsy Unicorn – a 19,000 sq ft beach club on Sentosa's Siloso Beach that opened in September 2023 – is at the centre of these claims. The construction cost of the project ballooned from $4 million to more than $6.1 million due to lack of due diligence and planning. Court documents also noted that the claimants did not have sufficient resources to undertake the construction of Tipsy Unicorn. Despite the fact that Tipsy Collective was 'in financial difficulties and needed monies from shareholders to sustain its operations', Mr Gan and Mr Ong allegedly continued to undertake more projects, the court documents noted. Another alleged mishap flagged in court documents was the group's investment in Tipsy Flamingo Malaysia. The plaintiffs claimed the venture led to a loss of more than $1.3 million. The renewal of leases for underperforming outlets, such as Tipsy Penguin, Tipsy Bunny and Tipsy Flamingo, was also highlighted. These new leases apparently involved higher rents and service charges, further straining the group's finances. The lawsuit further accused Mr Gan and Ms Lim of destroying and withholding company records. Mr Gan allegedly deleted more than 4,000 files from the company's Google Drive and continued accessing company systems without authorisation after his departure. Ms Lim is alleged to have erased nearly 5,000 files and formatted her company-issued laptop, erasing all stored data. Both of them are being held liable for damages linked to the data loss, with the plaintiffs also seeking an injunction to prevent Mr Gan from using any confidential company information that may have been retained. Separately, the Ministry of Law's website showed Mr Gan was declared a bankrupt on June 19, in proceedings separate from the civil suit.
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Hong Kong issues arrest warrants for 19 overseas activists, offers bounties for 15, China News
HONG KONG — Hong Kong's national security police announced arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law, marking the largest such tally yet. They are accused of organising or participating in the "Hong Kong Parliament", a group authorities in the Asian financial hub say aimed to subvert state power, under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. The activists are accused of having launched a referendum or run as candidates in the unofficial "Hong Kong Parliament" group, which authorities say aims at achieving self-determination and drafting a "Hong Kong constitution". Police, who said the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, said they are still investigating and further arrests may follow. Among those named are businessman Elmer Yuen, commentator Victor Ho, and activists Johnny Fok and Tony Choi. Four of them are subject to previous arrest warrants, each carrying a bounty of HK$1 million (S$162,900). Among the remaining 15, for each of whom police are offering a bounty of HK$200,000, are those said to have organised or run in the election and sworn in as its councillors. None of the accused could be reached for comment. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech, under a "one country, two systems" formula. Critics of the national security law say authorities are using it to stifle dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said the law was vital to restore stability after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019. Police reiterated that national security offences were serious crimes with extraterritorial reach and urged the wanted individuals to return to Hong Kong and surrender. "If offenders voluntarily give up continuing to violate the crime, turn themselves in, truthfully confess their crimes, or provide key information that helps solve other cases, they may be eligible for reduced punishment," they said in a statement. Police also warned that aiding, abetting, or funding others to participate in the "Hong Kong Parliament" could be a criminal offence. [[nid:719621]]
