According to foreign media reports, two more key figures in Singapore's largest ever refinery oil theft case have been convicted. The defendants, both former employees of Shell Eastern Petroleum, pleaded guilty to making more than S$2.3 million (about Rs10 million) from the breach of trust collusion, and were sentenced to 26 and a half years and 23 and a half years in jail respectively.
Defendant Muzaffar (pictured) and co-conspirator Koh Choon Wei were convicted in the High Court on Friday (2 August). They were both in charge of supervising onshore loading and unloading at Shell Orient Petroleum at the time of the offence.
Defendants Muzaffar Ali Khan, 42, and Hui Chunwei, 40, were both in charge of supervising onshore loading and unloading at Shell Eastern Petroleum at the time of the offence. They were sentenced in the High Court on Friday (2 August), with Muzaffar sentenced to 26 and a half years in prison and Hui Junwei to 23 and a half years.
In handing down the sentences, Mr Justice Adi Abdullah said that the court must ensure that the sentences imposed in this case have a sufficient deterrent effect to safeguard Singapore's reputation for doing business and investing in economic activities, including the supply of fuel. The Judge considered that the consequences would be severe if confidence in Singapore's business activities were to be affected by such a large-scale offence of theft of goods and money.
11 years in the making - more than $100 million worth of discredited fuel
The refinery thefts took place between 2007 and 2018, and the value of the fuel breached by the criminals was more than S$127.73 million (about Rs700 million), making it the largest ever in Singapore.
The mastermind who led the crime, Juandi Pungot, has been sentenced to 29 years in jail in 2022, while the case of another key figure involved, Abdul Latif Ibrahim, is still ongoing. They are also former Shell employees. Six other former Shell staff involved in the case have already been convicted.
Muzaffar and Hui, who pleaded guilty and were sentenced, faced 31 and 21 charges respectively, including offences of theft by false pretences and transfer of proceeds of crime. Muzaffar and Hui obtained at least S$1.3 million and S$1 million ($5 million) respectively from the proceeds of crime and used the stolen money to buy watches, cars and overseas properties.
According to the case, Muzaffar and Koh Choon Wei both joined Shell in 2004 as technicians and were gradually promoted to shore-based loaders, earning S$6,000 (about RMB 30,000) a month.
Between 2007 and the beginning of the next year, Zuandi approached Radev and Muzaffar and began conspiring to steal fuel from the company. The trio also enlisted other staff, including Koh Choon Wei, to join in the theft.
The offence was committed in multiple stages and the fuel was sold off the high seas in breach of trust.
During the commission of the offence, the Defendants and their accomplices divided their responsibilities amongst themselves, including liaising with the personnel of overseas tankers, operating the control panel or diverting the pipefitters during the theft of fuel, and offloading the unreliable fuel on the high seas. They also deliberately adjusted the gauges so that no one would notice any difference in the quantity of fuel, and also adjusted the angle of the CCTV camera to avoid their illegal activities being captured on film.
On average, the defendants and others stole fuel twice a month and sold it at below market price, sharing the proceeds with all their accomplices. Shell later reported the case to the police in August 2017 after realising that it had lost a large amount of fuel for no apparent reason, which in turn led to the uncovering of the large-scale oil theft.
The prosecution said Muzaffar was one of the earliest associates of Zuandi, the mastermind, and deployed the crime with him and others. Xu Junwei joined the gang later and was taught by Muzaffar and Zuandi how to contact overseas tanker captains and make arrangements with them to carry out the oil theft scheme.
The Prosecution argued that the seriousness of the offences committed by Muzaffar, Koh Choon Wei and their associates, the fact that the sophisticated gangsterism extended over many years, and the damage done to Singapore's reputation as a business hub, were all sentencing considerations in this case.
https://www.cnss.com.cn/html/sdbd/20240807/354278.html
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