Earlier this year, 66-year-old Young Tat Ong attempted to deposit counterfeit Singapore notes on behalf of a Vietnamese man.
After getting caught by staff members at the bank, Young pleaded guilty in September.
On Wednesday (23 Nov), Young was sentenced to 11 years of preventive detention for using fake notes.
During the sentencing, however, the 66-year-old begged for the death penalty instead, claiming he’d be dead in 11 years.
According to The Straits Times (ST), Young met 39-year-old Dinh Dai Quang, who pretended to be a high-ranking government official from Vietnam, through an online acquaintance.
Dinh reportedly informed Young that the notes were payment “from the Singapore Government to Vietnam for investments”.
Source: MAS
He then asked Young to exchange the S$10,000 portrait-series notes for smaller denominations. In return, Young would receive a commission of S$4,000 per note.
Young suspected that the notes were counterfeit. He also knew that Dinh had concealed them during Customs checks at Changi Airport.
He then made Dinh sign an agreement confirming he would assume legal liability as the rightful owner of the notes.
On 22 Mar, Young approached an undisclosed DBS Bank outlet and attempted to deposit the fake notes. However, the staff at the bank grew suspicious and alerted the police.
This isn’t the first time Young has gotten in trouble with the law.
Since 16 years old, Young had been convicted on seven occasions, including for similar cheating and forgery offences, ST reports.
Judge Chan previously asked for a report to assess his suitability for preventive detention.
This would involve detainment in prison for between seven to 20 years. Such sentences are usually given to protect the public from recalcitrant offenders.
After the report emerged, the prosecution demanded that Young be sentenced to 11 to 12 years of preventive detention.
Young, however, begged the court for a “normal sentence” or a death penalty on Wednesday (23 Nov) morning.
Addressing the court, he said:
You say 11 years, might as well you hang me better… 11 years I dead already. You hang me better… you hang me.
He also asked the court to assess his suitability for preventive detention again, saying it wasn’t fair. He claimed to be a good man, adding that his offences did not hurt anyone.
Judge Chan, however, called Young a “recalcitrant, habitual offender” who has a “deeply ingrained propensity to cheat and deceive”.
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Featured image adapted from Aleksandr Zykov on Flickr.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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