Man claimed to be ex-DPM Wong Kan Seng's brother to cheat victims

Man claimed to be ex-DPM Wong Kan Seng's brother to cheat victims

AN UNDISCHARGED bankrupt duped four victims into paying him $470,000 after claiming to be the brother of then Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Wong Kan Seng, a court heard.

Wong Kok Keong, alias Wong Kock Khiang, 63, pleaded guilty to three of nine charges.

Five of the six remaining charges to be considered relate to him obtaining credit from the victims without disclosing that he was an undischarged bankrupt.

He was made bankrupt on March 9, 2001.

Yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Hon Yi told the court that Lim Swee Guan, 53, Chian Jee Khin, 42, and Heng Choon Leng, then shareholders of Manor Construction, came to know Wong in September 2007.

Asked if he was related to or the brother of then DPM Wong, he said yes.

Wong claimed that he knew the director of the company that had the lease for a plot of land in Yung Ho Road.

He said the lessee had agreed to sell part of his rights to the land to him (Wong), for him to construct a commercial building on it.

He invited Manor Construction, through the victims, to invest in the project. They agreed.

They issued him a $180,000 cheque on Sept 27 that year, as payment for 20 per cent of the "option to purchase'', which he encashed the same day.

When the trio later asked him on multiple occasions for the documents, he could not produce them.

He finally told them in April 2008 that the investment was unsuccessful and promised to return the sum.

DPP Hon said, in fact, there was no such project nor option to purchase the plot of land in Jurong.

Neither was Wong the brother of then DPM Wong.

At around the same time, Wong had also told the trio that he could get preferential shares in a listed company called Advance Modules Group.

He claimed that he was arranging for a deal with the company and that, due to the deal, its shares would rise to 50 cents a share.

He duped the trio into agreeing to buy 1.6 million shares, at 15 cents per share, amounting to $240,000.

After Wong got the money in two cheques, he encashed them.

He later told them that he could not secure the purchase of the shares and promised to return the $240,000.

In a 2011 cheating case, Wong conned Chiam Teck Hwa, 48, into giving him $50,000 after making him believe that he was then DPM Wong's brother, and that the money would be invested in a company relating to dialysis.

He has since repaid the amount to Mr Chiam.

Wong's lawyer Edmond Pereira will give his mitigation plea on April 26.

elena@sph.com.sg


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