SINGAPORE – A man who recruited another person to open a bank account for illegal means forced the latter to drink urine after the account was frozen.

Tan Ming Chuan and his alleged accomplice Cheong Wee Kiat, 26, thought that the 25-year-old male victim had pocketed the money in the account. His name has been redacted from court documents, which referred to him as A1 instead.

Tan and Cheong were unaware that A1 had earlier alerted the police about the account..

On Aug 6, Tan, 28, was sentenced to four months and eight weeks’ jail, and a fine of $300. He had pleaded guilty to one count each of criminal intimidation and misusing a computer system.

Cheong’s case is pending.

Court documents stated that Tan got to know a person called “ Derrick” in late 2021 and accepted a job offer from the latter to recruit people who wanted to relinquish their bank accounts.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicole Tay said that for each bank account that Tan provided, Derrick would hand him about $800 to $1,000 in cash as payment.

Tan would then hand $500 to the person who relinquished the bank account, and keep about $300 as a “commission” for himself.

In March 2022, A1 told Cheong, who was then his friend, that he wanted to earn “fast cash”. Cheong then told him about Tan.

The DPP told the court that Tan said he might give Cheong a commission if A1’s bank account could be used for a long period of time.

The three men met in Tampines later that month. Tan then helped A1 to register a company and open a corporate bank account online.

After that, A1 handed his banking credentials and an automated teller machine (ATM) card linked to the account to Tan, who passed them to Derrick.

Tan was aware that Derrick would use the account for illegal means, said the prosecutor.

More than $147,000 was later received and transferred out of the account.

DPP Tay said: “Neither Cheong nor A1 received the payments promised for their respective roles in opening and relinquishing the...bank account. (Tan) received a commission from Derrick, which he spent on alcohol and clubbing.”

A1 started receiving statements linked to the account at his home and in April 2022, his father noticed that they showed transactions involving significant sums of money from unknown sources.

He confronted his son and accompanied him to the bank to close the account. Its employees advised A1 to lodge a police report, and he did so on April 16, 2022, admitting he had opened the account and relinquished it to others.

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The account, which contained more than $25,000 at the time, was then frozen.

Fearing that he would be asked to make repayments for the frozen funds, A1 cut off ties with Cheong soon after.

On Sept 12, 2022, Tan met Cheong at the latter’s Bedok Reservoir home and the pair decided to confront A1 about the money. That evening, they went to A1’s block of flats and met four other people.

At around 11.30pm, the group of six spotted A1 at the void deck. Cheong and Tan asked him to repay them the money, but A 1 said he did not have it.

All seven then went to another void deck. There, Cheong asked A1 if he wanted to settle the matter himself or get his friends to help him do so.

A1 said he would contact a friend. He also told Cheong he would work to raise the funds.

DPP Tay said that while waiting for the friend to turn up, Cheong punched A1’s face, causing a cut near his left eyebrow. A1 did not retaliate as he feared for his safety.

The friend arrived later and transferred $800 to a member of Cheong’s group.

Later, at around 1am on Sept 13, 2022, Cheong and Tan decided to punish A1 and pressure him to repay the rest of the money, said the prosecutor.

She said: “They devised a plan to force A1 to drink their urine. (Cheong, Tan and two members of their group) took turns urinating into an empty bottle.

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“Cheong and (Tan) then handed the bottle to A1, and demanded that A1 either drink from the bottle or fight them.”

A1, who did not dare to fight them, drank about three-quarters of the urine. Cheong and Tan then ordered A1 to pour the rest over his head, and he complied.

Tan also used his mobile phone to take pictures of A1 and record the whole incident, but later deleted the footage.

A1 made a police report on Sept 14, 2022.

Tan’s bail was set at $20,000 on Aug 6, and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on Sept 1.