Fugitive counterfeit chief gets 11 years' jail

Fugitive counterfeit chief gets 11 years' jail

A man who ran a counterfeit currency syndicate fled the country 24 years ago after his outfit was busted.

Now 71, Lim Goon Lor has finally come home - after police caught him last year in Malaysia. Following a seven-day trial, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison yesterday for printing and trafficking fake money.

Lim was first arrested in January 1991 with three other men for running a counterfeit currency printing enterprise out of a rented room in a Greenwood Avenue shophouse off Dunearn Road.

His three accomplices were each jailed 12 months in 1993.

Lim, the mastermind, jumped bail of $150,000 and escaped to Malaysia, where he remained on the run until a tip-off to the police led to his arrest last year.

He was convicted in Petaling Jaya for immigration offences last February and deported to Singapore last April, where he faced 22 charges related to counterfeiting currency, ranging from US dollars to Indian rupees.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jurena Chan said the four charges that proceeded to trial alone involved sums of nearly $200,000.

Lim, who was unrepresented, broke down and wept in the dock during his lengthy mitigation plea, which lasted for well over 10 minutes. Speaking in Mandarin, he said: "I thought I met a judge with wisdom in Court 24 and that he would believe me, but I have been let down."

District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan responded: "Although it is unfortunate you find me lacking in wisdom, I hope you do not find me wanting in patience."

For each charge of counterfeiting currency, Lim could have been jailed for up to 20 years and also liable to a fine. target="_blank">
This article was first published on May 29, 2015.
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