SINGAPORE, May 9 — The wife of a former electronics recycling firm boss accused of embezzling uncrushed computer chips worth more than US$51 million (S$64.6 million) has been jailed after allowing a bank account in her name to be used in the alleged scheme, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported.

Thor Chwee Hwa, 57, is the wife of Ng Teck Lee, former president and CEO of electronics recycling firm Citiraya Industries. The couple fled Singapore in the early 2000s and were only arrested in December 2024, nearly two decades later.

According to the report, Thor was sentenced to one year and 10 months’ jail by the State Courts yesterday after pleading guilty to one count of assisting Ng to retain the benefits of criminal conduct.

Ng’s case is still pending before the courts.

Citiraya was engaged in recycling electronic waste for major chip manufacturers including AMD, Infineon, STMicroelectronics and Intel by extracting precious metals from processed chips.

Between April 2003 and November 2004, Ng allegedly misappropriated uncrushed computer chips and, with the help of intermediaries and shell companies, sold them to overseas syndicates for repackaging and resale as standard products.

He is alleged to have received more than US$51 million from the scheme.

According to CNA, court documents stated that the proceeds were channelled into several bank accounts, including one opened under Thor’s name.

At the time, Thor was a housewife. Ng allegedly arranged for her to open the account and gave himself limited power of attorney over it, while a Citiraya employee assisted in the process.

Thor knew the account was linked to the company but had no control over it, the report said. 

She later received funds transferred into her account, including US$1,149,425 just weeks after it was opened in 2003. The money was subsequently moved through various transactions, including currency exchanges and securities purchases.

Thor was questioned by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in January 2005 but left Singapore shortly after, travelling overseas with her daughter and valuables. She later met Ng abroad, where they assumed false identities and lived in China and Malaysia.

The prosecution said the couple used fake identities and later applied for Malaysia’s “My Second Home” programme, while also receiving financial support from family members. Thor later sent her daughter back to Singapore before 2013.

CNA reported that authorities later recovered about US$23 million from the case, while the couple still held assets worth about S$839,131 when arrested.

The prosecution had sought between 21 and 27 months’ jail, citing the transnational nature of the case and Thor’s long period of abscondment. The defence argued for a lighter sentence, noting she was not the main actor in the scheme.

District Judge Ong Luan Tze said the offence involved significant harm due to the large sums involved and its cross-border nature. She also found Thor’s flight from Singapore aggravated the case, noting it had delayed justice for nearly 20 years.

Thor was arrested in Malaysia on Dec 3, 2024, and repatriated to Singapore the same day.