Maserati Driver Guilty Of Using Car To Drag Cop Will Have Vehicle Forfeited To State
39-year-old Lee Cheng Yan, who used his Maserati to drag a cop back in 2017, will have the vehicle forfeited to the state.
S’pore Maserati Driver Drags Police Officer For 124 Metres, Gets Lifetime Driving Ban
This is in accordance with the Road Traffic Act, which allows the forfeiture of vehicles in offences like Lee’s.
He had earlier pleaded with the court to get his car back, with his sister making a case for its return as well.
Sister of Maserati driver pleads against forfeiture
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the court heard closing arguments for the case on Monday (27 Feb).
Lee’s sister said she wanted closure for the case and was trying to push for a conclusion.
“The incident took place in November 2017 and we are now already living in 2023,” she said.
As a taxpayer herself, she did not want to spend more resources unnecessarily on further adjournments.
She also pointed out that the section of the Road Traffic Act allowing for the forfeiture of vehicles when it came to offences like Lee’s also has a condition.
This condition dictates that the court can turn down the forfeiture order if it punishes innocent parties.
Elaborating on this, she said her parents have a very difficult life. They have to care for a severely intellectually disabled son, who is 42.
“Most people in Singapore won’t be aware that life is extremely harsh” for families like this, she stated.
If they can get back this sum of money, it will go a long way… and I don’t think the law should punish them.
Conditions for forfeiture of Maserati driver’s vehicle fulfilled
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh said that under the Road Traffic Act, conditions for forfeiture were met.
Section 43(5) of the Act states that the court can only choose not to make a forfeiture order if the offender doesn’t own the vehicle or used it without the consent of the owner.
Mr Koh said that as of July 2022, Lee was the registered owner of the vehicle, which was fully paid for.
Lee’s sister previously claimed that the car belongs to her parents. However, this transfer of ownership occurred only after the offence to avert forfeiture, Mr Koh added.
“Offenders should not be allowed to transfer ownership of vehicles to avoid forfeiture,” he said, according to The Straits Times (ST).
Lee’s sister disagreed. She said that her brother believed he would get the vehicle back when he pledged it as collateral to their parents.
District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam concluded that even if the court took her case at the highest and accepted that the transfer of ownership was genuine and not to avoid forfeiture, it did not render the Road Traffic Act obsolete.
When Lee had used the Maserati during the offence, he was its owner, she stated.
Has 2 lifetime driving bans
Lee currently has two lifetime driving bans.
He received the first after being found guilty of dragging the police officer in the 2017 incident. He was also sentenced to four years and seven months in prison, plus a S$3,700 fine.
Then, in 2022, he was given an additional 21 months and 16 weeks’ jail, as well as a second lifetime driving ban and a S$1,000 fine, for more outstanding charges.
The charges include driving while on bail pending an appeal and being under a lifetime driving ban.
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Featured image by MS News.
