Mitchell Ong, the 43-year-old man suspected of murdering fellow Singaporean Audrey Fang in Spain, was a beneficiary of her Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings.
A court in Cieza received confirmation from Singapore’s CPF Board that Ms Fang had designated Ong as the sole beneficiary of her CPF funds.
Spanish authorities arrested Ong after Ms Fang was found dead in Abanilla with 30 stab wounds on 10 April.
Spanish news outlet La Verdad reported that on 16 May, the Cieza court confirmed Ong as Ms Fang’s CPF beneficiary.
Her CPF savings reportedly amounted to €340,000 (S$498,000).
Source: AGENCIA EFE on YouTube
The court had earlier requested financial information about Ms Fang and Ong from Singapore authorities.
A judge emphasised the relevance of this information, noting the importance in determining Ong’s status as Ms Fang’s CPF beneficiary.
The CPF, as explained by the Ministry of Manpower, is a mandatory social security savings scheme funded by employer and employee contributions.
In the event of a person’s death, the savings are transferred to their listed nominees.
Prior to the judge’s request for financial information on the victim and suspect, investigators found a note on Ms Fang’s iPad indicating her intention to nominate an unknown person as her CPF beneficiary.
The note read: “I wish to clarify that my decision to nominate you for my CPF was made because you are my long-time friend and trusted confidant.”
The note was allegedly dated 24 March — less than three weeks before she was found dead.
Source: Fang Dirou on Facebook
Spanish police also confirmed that there was an attempt to make changes to Ms Fang’s CPF account in March, prior to her trip to Spain.
Ong is currently on remand in a Murcia jail and has refused to provide a statement regarding the case.
Also read: What happened to Audrey Fang: Timeline of a S’porean woman’s murder in Spain
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Featured image adapted from AGENCIA EFE on YouTube and Fang Dirou on Facebook.
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