SINGAPORE, Jan 29 — Former City Harvest Church (CHC) fund manager Chew Eng Han has been sentenced to 13 months’ jail for trying to escape jail time by leaving Singapore in a motorised sampan.
This will be added to the current sentence he is already serving, for his role in in the largest case of misuse of charitable funds in Singapore's history.
This means Chew must now serve a jail sentence of four years and five months in total.
The 58-year-old was convicted of his latest set of offences on Dec 12 last year.
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Although the former CHC leader initially pleaded not guilty to the two latest charges, he chose not to give evidence on the stand during his one-day trial on Sept 24, and no other defence witnesses were called.
Chew was supposed to begin serving his sentence on Feb 22 last year, after he was convicted of criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts involving more than S$50 million (RM152 million) of CHC funds in 2015.
He was granted a deferment on sentence, on Feb 1 last year, to spend Chinese New Year with his family.
But on the morning of Feb 21, Chew — who was out on a S$1 million bail — was nabbed at sea for trying to skip town with the help of a boatman.
He was then charged with trying to avoid serving his sentence and attempting to leave Singapore for Malaysia unlawfully via Pulau Ubin Jetty, which is not an authorised place of embarkation, departing place or point of departure.
Chew subsequently started serving his sentence for criminal breach of trust on March 1.
Other than Chew, three other people linked to the case have been dealt with by the courts. Boatman and Singapore fish farm owner Tan Poh Teck, 53, was in July sentenced to 27 weeks’ jail for abetting Chew’s escape.
Malaysian freelance driver Khoo Kea Leng, 45, and Malaysian private tour guide Tan Kim Ho, 42, were each handed a six-month jail term for their roles in organising the escape.
Chew’s older brother Chew Eng Soon was also involved in the escape bid, but he has not been charged in court. — TODAY
