- Tan Khi Wie fled Singapore in 2002 to avoid serving an 18-month jail sentence.
- He was caught at Changi Airport 23 years later.
- He pleaded guilty to six charges under the Immigration Act and Penal Code.
- He was sentenced to a new term that will begin after he serves the original 18-month sentence, totaling close to two years and nine months.
- Another 16 Immigration Act charges were taken into consideration at sentencing.
Tan Khi Wie, 58, was arrested at Changi Airport after presenting a false Indonesian passport on March 7. He was wanted for fleeing Singapore in 2002 to avoid an 18-month sentence for cheating a government agency out of SGD195,800 (US$153,000).1
The Singapore Police Force and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority confirmed he was convicted of six charges under the Immigration Act and Penal Code, including failing to present a valid passport and making a false statement on an arrival card.3
Tan's original sentence was handed down on August 6, 2002, after he defrauded the Singapore Productivity and Standards Board. He filed an appeal but failed to appear in court on January 21, 2003, leading to a warrant for his arrest on February 20.
After his recent conviction, he will serve an additional 14 months and three weeks, bringing his total time behind bars to nearly two years and nine months.
“Tan pleaded guilty, and the new term will begin only after he serves the 18-month sentence he fled, putting his total time behind bars at close to two years and nine months. Another 16 Immigration Act charges were taken into consideration at sentencing.”
VnExpress International
