SINGAPORE - A company’s sole director got involved in a scheme with a money laundering syndicate and the firm’s bank account later received the benefits of an impersonation scam totalling US$952,000 (over S$1.27 million).

       Chinese national Chen Binjue, 41, who was then heading public relations firm Dionysuss Lifestyle, was sentenced to two years and four months’ jail on Nov 5.

       The Singapore permanent resident had pleaded guilty to one count of dealing with the benefits of criminal conduct.

       Eight other charges for offences including forgery were considered during sentencing.

       The prosecution said that almost all the money, save for around $3,000, has been returned to the victim – a firm based in the United Kingdom.

       Chen incorporated Dionysuss Lifestyle in 2016, but a search with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority on Nov 5 revealed she is no longer a director at the company.

       In 2019, she got involved in a scheme with a money laundering syndicate made up of unknown people from China.

       Deputy Public Prosecutor Kathy Chu told the court: “She agreed to allow Dionysuss’ (bank account) in Singapore to be used to receive the syndicate’s monies.

       “She had reasonable grounds to believe the syndicate was engaged in criminal conduct and that its monies were benefits of (crime).”

       On June 25, 2019, a director at a firm called International Data Corporation UK (IDC UK) fell victim to a phone impersonation scam when a person pretending to be his superior contacted him.

       The director was told to make arrangements for a transaction as part of IDC UK’s “business acquisition” and that a lawyer would be in touch with him.

       A person who pretended to be a lawyer then contacted the director, who was asked to arrange for a transaction of US$952,000 to Dionysuss Lifestyle’s Maybank account.

       The director gave instructions for the transaction to take place and the money was deposited in the account the next day.

       On June 27, 2019, $296,639 was transferred from the account to a Hong Kong company called New Ginwa.

       Maybank Singapore was later alerted about the ill-gotten gains in Dionysuss Lifestyle’s bank account.

       The bank froze the account and asked for the $296,639 payment to be recalled.

       The Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) seized the money in Dionysuss Lifestyle’s Maybank account on June 28, 2019.

       Later that day, Chen realised that she could not perform transactions on the account and called Maybank’s contact centre.

       She was told that the bank needed supporting documents relating to several transactions, including the ones involving the $296,639 and the more than $1.27 million, according to court documents.

       Chen then forged multiple invoices for non-existent transactions that purportedly involved the money and e-mailed them to Maybank.

       On July 12, 2019, the director at IDC UK lodged a police report with the Singapore authorities about the phone scam.

       Six days later, more than $290,000 was successfully recalled and credited back to Dionysuss Lifestyle’s Maybank account.

       Separately, Chen made plans to obtain the release of the funds from the account.

       In late 2019, she met one Wilson Ho and offered him $2,000 per month in exchange for becoming a director at Dionysuss Lifestyle.

       He accepted the offer, and she promised him a cut of the money if it was released.

       Chen also appointed a lawyer whose firm wrote to CAD, stating that it was acting for Mr Ho and asked for the funds in the Maybank account to be released.

       Upon further correspondence, Chen provided two of the earlier forged invoices to CAD on or around April 22, 2020.

       On Aug 12 that year, CAD issued an order for Maybank to return the funds in Dionysuss Lifestyle’s account to IDC UK.

       More than $1.27 million was returned to IDC UK two days later.

       Chen’s bail was set at $40,000 on Nov 5, and she is expected to begin serving her sentence on Nov 12.