The head of a syndicate in Japan accused of laundering some 70 billion yen (S$628.7 million) for criminals there had a home in Singapore and was appointed director of a software firm here, The Straits Times has found.
Sotaro Ishikawa, who fled Japan in February amid an investigation by the police, led the Rivaton Group.
The criminal syndicate is believed to comprise more than 40 people.
The 35-year-old lived in a condominium in Bukit Timah, and was registered as the director of a local software company, also named Rivaton, in March.
Checks by ST showed that a number of others in the syndicate were also appointed directors of companies in Singapore over the last two years.
Rivaton's second in command, Kosuke Yamada, was appointed director of local software company KO Enterprise Next in September 2023.
The 39-year-old, who goes by Yamada Kosuke here, also has a registered address in Singapore at the same condo as Ishikawa.
Both men told the Japanese authorities they were Singapore residents when they were arrested on July 9, after flying back to Japan from Dubai, reported Japanese news agency Jiji Press.
The third-ranking officer of the group - Takamasa Ikeda, 38 - was arrested on Sept 2 at Kansai International Airport after taking a flight from Singapore to Japan.
Ikeda has a registered address in Singapore at a landed property in Novena. He became the director of local advertising company Glosal in April.
According to the Osaka Prefectural Police, the group had systematically set up shell companies in Japan from 2021, and used the corporate accounts of these companies to launder criminal funds linked to scams and illegal gambling.
At least 4,000 accounts and 500 companies involved in the scheme have been uncovered by the Japanese authorities so far.
On May 21, the police arrested 12 people linked to the group in Toyama, Japan.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 21, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 21, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The many sides of library pioneer Hedwig Anuar and other authors
Those who know the National Library's former director Hedwig Anuar, 95, as a pioneer of Singapore's library system or women's rights activism will glimpse a different side of her in her newly published early writings.
Chef Jamie Oliver pulls children's book after indigenous criticism
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (right) has announced he will no longer sell his children's book, after coming under fire for what indigenous critics called \"erasure, trivialisation and stereotyping\".
Dua Lipa cancels Indonesia leg of tour over unsafe staging
British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa has cancelled the Indonesian leg of her Asian tour, citing unsafe staging.
Actress Sheila Sim undergoes hair transplant procedure to fix 'prominent bald spot'
Local actress-model Sheila Sim is feeling less stress over her tresses after undergoing a two-day hair transplant procedure.
Blackpink's Lisa keeps it short and sweet at Marquee
Below disco balls and flashing stage lights, Lisa from K-pop girl group Blackpink made a glittering appearance in the early hours of Nov 10 at Marquee Singapore nightclub in Marina Bay Sands.
Invisible Habitudes returns to Singapore stage with stronger cohesion
After almost six years, choreographer and The Human Expression (T.H.E) Dance Company's founding artistic director Kuik Swee Boon's Invisible Habitudes returned to the Singapore stage, with a mix of original cast members and new performers, but surprisingly with an even stronger sense of cohesion.
Tech Talks foster conversations around technology and storytelling
The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) continues building out conversations around the intersection of technology and storytelling.
SSO's most exciting and memorable Beethoven concert yet
The idea of a concert comprising wholly works by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is hardly new, yet a fully packed Victoria Concert Hall showed that the great German composer still has a special cachet among concertgoers.
Singapore is a city of 'future past,' says Paolo Giordano
The Italian author is among the 300 people who have been invited to speak or conduct workshops at the festival
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Comparing prices, researching products - parents can help their kids learn how to shop responsibly
