Ng Teck Lee
Ng Teck Lee (born c. 1966) is a Singaporean alleged fraudster. The former chief executive officer and president of recycling company Citiraya Industries, he fled Singapore in 2005 while under investigation for embezzling S$72 million worth of electronic waste. In December 2024, he was arrested in Malaysia and extradited to Singapore.
Business career
[edit]A high school dropout, Ng briefly worked as a truck driver for a plastics-recycling company before establishing his own firm—Citiraya Industries—with his brother Teck Boon in 1988. Ng served as its chief executive officer and president, while his brother was its general manager.[1] By 2002, Citiraya had operations in at least eleven countries and was entrusted with recycling electronic waste from manufacturers including AMD, Agilent, Cisco, Infineon, Intel, and STMicroelectronics.[1] In 2006, Citiraya Industries was renamed Centillion Environment & Recycling. Centillion merged with an American company in 2012 and was renamed Metech International.[2]
Fraud allegations
[edit]In December 2004, one of Citiraya's U.S.-based clients lodged a complaint alleging that its scrap computer chips had been discovered in Taiwan, when they should have been recycled and crushed in Singapore. In January 2005, Taiwanese officials raided the premises of several local firms that had dealings with Citiraya.[3] The same month, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in Singapore launched an investigation into Citiraya's operations. Sometime before 19 January 2005, Ng fled the country and an Interpol Red Notice was issued for his arrest.[1]
The CPIB subsequently charged Ng with misappropriating 89 tonnes (88 long tons; 98 short tons) of electronic waste between 2003 and 2004. According to the CPIB, instead of being crushed, the waste had allegedly been sent to his brother-in-law's warehouse and sold to buyers from Hong Kong and Taiwan.[1] In addition, the CPIB found that Citiraya had generated 1,554 false transactions amounting to around S$161 million, while Ng had paid out S$1.8 million worth of bribes.[4]
A dozen of Ng's associates were arrested and convicted for their participation in his scheme, including Ng's brother Teck Boon who was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in 2005.[3] In August 2008, the Attorney-General of Singapore applied to the High Court of Singapore to forfeit approximately S$28 million worth of Ng's assets under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.[4] In September 2011, the court ordered S$24 million worth of Ng's assets to be liquidated, with the remaining S$4 million to be distributed among Centillion Environment & Recycling, Ng's Malaysian business associate Ung Yoke Hooi, and Ng's brother-in-law Thor Beng Huat.[5]
On 3 December 2024, after more than nineteen years on the run, Ng Teck Lee and his wife were arrested in Johor Bahru, Malaysia by officials from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). They were extradited to Singapore on the same day.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Ng is married to Thor Chwee Hwa (born c. 1969).[1] The couple were the joint owners of a bungalow in Binjai Park and a 7,300 square feet (680 m2) residence in Paya Lebar.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Wong, Andrew (4 December 2024). "19-year manhunt for S'porean tycoon involved in $72 million embezzlement case ends in JB". The Straits Times.
- ^ "19-year manhunt for S'porean tycoon involved in S$72 million embezzlement case ends in JB". The Business Times. 4 December 2024.
- ^ a b Vijayan, K. C. "Fugitive ex-Citiraya boss fled with US$51m; A-G goes after missing millions". The Straits Times.
- ^ a b Liew, Clement (2022). Scrupulous, Thorough, Fearless: The Cpib Story. World Scientific Publishing Company. pp. 345–346. ISBN 9789811267253.
- ^ Vijayan, K. C. (22 September 2011). "State to seize $23m of tycoon's assets".
- ^ Chan, Rachel (4 December 2024). "Singaporean couple linked to US$51 million fraud case arrested in Malaysia after 19 years on the run". CNA. Retrieved 4 December 2024.