The Police have charged five men, aged between 24 to 31, on 26 April 2022 for their suspected involvement in motor insurance fraud, involving the submission of fraudulent insurance claims for property damages and purported personal injuries related to five road traffic accidents between 2020 to 2021, of which two were believed to be staged.
The five men were amongst 17 persons rounded up during a series of Police operations in June 2021. One of 17 persons, 26-year-old Chew Kuo Choon, was previously charged in court on 11 June 2021 and court proceedings are ongoing.
The charges against the five men are as follows:
a) Koh Yi Ming, Male, aged 28 years, faces 16 charges:
- Two counts of abetment to commit rash act under Section 336(a), read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
- Twelve counts of engaging in a conspiracy to commit cheating under Section 420, read with Section 116, of the Penal Code.
- Two counts of abetment to give false information under Section 203, read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
b) Tan Lek Keong, Male, aged 27 years, faces eight charges:
- One count of abetment to commit rash act under Section 336(a), read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
- Six counts of engaging in a conspiracy to commit cheating under Section 420, read with Section 116, of the Penal Code.
- One count of abetment to give false information under Section 203, read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
c) Lim Yong Jun, Male, aged 24 years, faces eight charges:
- One count of abetment to commit rash act under Section 336(a), read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
- Six counts of engaging in a conspiracy to commit cheating under Section 420, read with Section 116, of the Penal Code.
- One count of abetment to give false information under Section 203, read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
d) Chen Jianlei, Male, aged 31 years, faces five charges:
- Three counts of Engaging in a conspiracy to commit cheating under Section 420, read with Section 116, of the Penal Code.
- 1 count of Abetment to give false information under Section 203, read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
- 1 count of Forgery under Section 465 of the Penal Code.
e) Alex Lau, Male, aged 24 years, faces two charges:
- 1 count of Engaging in a conspiracy to commit cheating under Section 420, read with Section 116, of the Penal Code.
- 1 count of Abetment to give false information under Section 203, read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
Chew Kuo Choon, who was charged in June 2021, faces 32 charges, as follows:
- Two counts of Abetment to commit rash act under Section 336(a), read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
- Eighteen counts of Engaging in a conspiracy to commit cheating under Section 420, read with Section 116, of the Penal Code.
- Eleven counts of Abetment to give false information under Section 203, read with Section 109, of the Penal Code.
- One count of Perverting the course of justice under Section 204A of the Penal Code.
Chew is alleged to have engaged in a conspiracy for the staging of the two accidents, acting as the driver in one of them; the submissions of false insurance claims for damages and purported personal injuries by phantom and uninjured passengers; and the lodging of false Police reports to support the claim submissions.
The following are the punishments for the respective offences:
- Cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code – punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and a fine;
- Giving false information to public servant under Section 203 of the Penal Code – punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, a fine, or both;
- Abetment to commit rash act under Section 336(a) of the Penal Code – punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, a fine which may extend to $2,500, or both;
- Forgery under Section 465 of the Penal Code – punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to four years, a fine, or both;
- Intentionally perverting the course of justice under Section 204A of the Penal Code – punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, a fine, or both.
The Police take a serious view of such fraud and staged accidents and will deal with perpetrators who intentionally endanger safety to road users in accordance with the law. Motorists involved in accidents are advised not to be easily taken in by touts at accident scenes who promise to assist in making insurance claims, to avoid falling victim to such motor insurance fraud.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
27 April 2022 @ 11:35 AM