In an operation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) against an organised criminal group (OCG) operating 11 illegal online betting portals facilitating lottery and horse betting in 2016, Ow Choon Bok (“Ow”), a 45-year-old Singaporean man, was arrested along with 48 other individuals.
Police investigations revealed that Ow had been managing his illegal 4D and TOTO business since 2009. He had maintained an administrator account for the website and oversaw the online betting accounts, which includes the collection of illegal 4D bets and settling of illegal 4D monies. Ow had also set up an operation centre overseas and recruited several individuals in his operation.
On 15 December 2020, Ow was sentenced to an imprisonment term of four years and 12 months, and a fine of $500,000, for providing a Singapore-based remote gambling service, receiving illegal 4D and TOTO bets, transferring of criminal benefits, being a member of an OCG, as well as offences related to an OCG, under the Organised Crime Act 2015, Remote Gambling Act 2014, Penal Code and Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
Following his conviction, the Police had sought a confiscation order against Ow to forfeit the benefits derived by him from criminal conduct. Based on financial investigations conducted by the Police, Ow was found to have accumulated unexplained wealth through his illegal activities over the years. This amount was disproportionate to his known sources of income. On 27 July 2022, the High Court made a confiscation order against Ow, with the amount to be recovered under the order to be a total sum of approximately $1.25 million.
Under section 7(1) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992, any person who is convicted of a serious offence is subject to having the benefits derived by him from criminal conduct confiscated.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
12 August 2022 @ 12:00 PM