A Malaysian man brought a whopping SGD300,000 (~RM977,840) cash into Singapore to gamble, but purposely skipped an important step at the Immigration.
He did not declare the cash he brought into Singapore as he found it troublesome to do so, and his decision landed him with a fine of SGD10,000 (approximately RM32,590).
The defendant, 52-year-old Zeng Weihao, claimed that the money was his winnings from his previous gamble at the same casino. Weihao was stopped by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers for routine inspection when he drove to Tuas Checkpoint at 5:30 PM on 7 November 2024, to enter Singapore.
Weihao was with his wife at the time, and an auxiliary police officer asked the pair if they had anything to declare.
Weihao handed the auxiliary officer a letter from Marina Bay Sands, which stated that he had won SGD347,800 (approximately RM1.1 mil) gambling at the Sands Casino between 1 November 1 2023 and 29 February 2024. The officer asked to see the cash, to which Weihao placed it in the backseat of his car.
The money was later seized by the authorities for further investigations.
He claimed that the casino manager said, “No need to declare”
For illustration purposes only
Weihao told authorities that the casino manager allegedly said that he did not need to report it to the authorities as long as he showed a letter from the casino. However, he later admitted during his statement that the manager had never told him that he did not need to declare the money.
Weihao admitted that he did not declare the amount of money he brought into Singapore because he found it troublesome.
According to Lian He Zao Bao, he faced a total of seven charges of violating the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Serious Crimes Act (Confiscation of Benefits). He admitted to one of them on Thursday (2 October).
Also read: “I’m done with you” – M’sian Disowns Brother Who’s Addicted to Gambling & Scams People For Money
