SINGAPORE, Feb 28 — The man who allegedly received money from City Harvest Church (CHC) former fund manager Chew Eng Han to facilitate the latter’s escape from Singapore was charged today.

Khoo Kea Leng, a 46-year-old Malaysian, is accused of abetting Chew by engaging in a conspiracy with Chew for him to leave Singapore from an unauthorised point of departure.

Khoo had allegedly collected S$8,000 in cash from Chew in the vicinity of Block 75 Marine Drive on Feb 20, as part of payment for conveying Chew from Singapore to Malaysia.

He was arrested in Pekan Nanas, Pontian, by the Royal Malaysia Police and handed over to the Singapore authorities on Monday. The courts here had issued a warrant for his arrest last week.

Khoo’s family from Malaysia was present in court today. He will be remanded for one week for further investigations, and will next appear in court on March 7. He is currently unrepresented.

Yesterday, he was escorted by four police officers to a carpark between blocks 75 and 76 Marine Drive, where he was questioned for about five minutes. The offence had allegedly taken place in either carpark lot 85 or 86.

TODAY understands that Khoo received the S$8,000 payment at the carpark, in exchange for facilitating an arrangement with boatman Tan Poh Teck.

Chew, 57, had tried unsuccessfully to flee Singapore from Pulau Ubin in a motorised sampan piloted by Tan last this morning, a day before he was due to start serving a sentence of three years and four months for misusing more than S$50 million of church funds.

He was charged the next day for attempting to leave Singapore from an unauthorised point of departure without reasonable cause. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to six months and fined up to S$2,000.

Khoo is the fourth suspect to be arrested in relation to Chew’s bid to escape. The boatman, Tan, 53, and Chew’s elder brother, Chew Eng Soon, 61, were arrested last week.

Tan was charged last Thursday with abetting in Chew’s attempt to escape, while Chew Eng Soon, who was arrested on the same day as his brother, is now on bail.

The younger Chew had earlier been convicted, along with five other former CHC leaders including its founder Kong Hee, for criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts involving more than S$50 million of church funds. He was due to start his jail term on Feb 22, after being allowed a deferment to spend Chinese New Year with his family.

The apex court ruled yesterday that he should start serving his sentence for his criminal breach of trust offence only when he is no longer under remand for trying to illegally flee the country.

Tan the boatman and Chew will both return to court tomorrow. — TODAY