Ewe Pang Kooi v Public Prosecutor: Bail Application for Criminal Breach of Trust and Related Offences

Ewe Pang Kooi applied to the High Court of Singapore for bail after being charged with 693 offences, including criminal breach of trust, forgery, cheating, making false declarations, transferring benefits of criminal conduct, and using benefits of criminal conduct at casinos. The District Court initially granted bail but later set it aside. Choo Han Teck J of the High Court granted bail of $1m with conditions, considering the applicant's cooperation with investigations and the surety's ability to ensure his attendance in court.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court

1.2 Outcome

Bail granted of $1m in one surety with additional terms.

1.3 Case Type

Criminal

1.4 Judgment Type

Grounds of Decision

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Bail application by Ewe Pang Kooi, charged with multiple offences including criminal breach of trust and forgery. The High Court granted bail of $1m with conditions.

1.7 Decision Date

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party NameRoleTypeOutcomeOutcome TypeCounsels
Public ProsecutorRespondentGovernment AgencyBail GrantedLost
Nicholas Khoo of Attorney-General’s Chambers
Leong Weng Tat of Attorney-General’s Chambers
Ewe Pang KooiApplicantIndividualBail GrantedPartial

3. Judges

Judge NameTitleDelivered Judgment
Choo Han TeckJudgeYes

4. Counsels

Counsel NameOrganization
Nicholas KhooAttorney-General’s Chambers
Leong Weng TatAttorney-General’s Chambers
Andrew Lee WeimingSelvam LLC
Ramachandran Doraisamy RaghunathSelvam LLC

4. Facts

  1. The applicant was charged with 693 charges, including criminal breach of trust, forgery, and offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
  2. The applicant was charged for misappropriating S$40,622,169.79 and US$147,000.
  3. The District Court initially granted bail of $4m but set it aside after the prosecution applied for the case to be transferred to the High Court.
  4. The applicant is a 61-year-old Malaysian and a permanent resident of Singapore.
  5. The applicant has been adjudged a bankrupt.
  6. The applicant's passport has been impounded.
  7. The applicant was under police investigation for almost two years and has been cooperative throughout this period.

5. Formal Citations

  1. Ewe Pang Kooi v Public Prosecutor, Criminal Motion No 2 of 2015, [2015] SGHC 24

6. Timeline

DateEvent
Applicant remanded
District Court granted bail
District Court set aside bail
Application filed to the High Court for bail
Judgment reserved

7. Legal Issues

  1. Grant of Bail
    • Outcome: The court granted bail of $1m in one surety with additional terms.
    • Category: Procedural

8. Remedies Sought

  1. Bail

9. Cause of Actions

  • Criminal Breach of Trust
  • Forgery
  • Cheating
  • Making False Declarations
  • Transferring Benefits of Criminal Conduct
  • Using Benefits of Criminal Conduct at Casinos

10. Practice Areas

  • Criminal Litigation

11. Industries

  • No industries specified

12. Cited Cases

Case NameCourtAffirmedCitationJurisdictionSignificance
PP v Teo Cheng KiatHigh CourtYes[2000] SGHC 129SingaporeCited as a case of fraud involving a large sum of money where bail was fixed at a substantial amount.
PP v Lam Chen FongUnknownYes[2002] 2 SLR(R) 599SingaporeCited as a case of fraud involving a large sum of money where bail was fixed at a substantial amount.
PP v Koh Seah WeeUnknownYes[2012] 1 SLR 292SingaporeCited as a case of fraud involving a large sum of money where bail was fixed at a substantial amount.

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute NameJurisdiction
Penal Code (Cap 224, 1985 Rev Ed)Singapore
Penal Code (Cap 224, 2008 Rev Ed)Singapore
Oaths and Declarations Act 2000 (Cap 38)Singapore
Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (Cap 65A, 2000 Rev Ed)Singapore
Criminal Procedure Code (Cap 68, 2012 Rev Ed)Singapore

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

  • Bail
  • Flight Risk
  • Surety
  • Bailable Offence
  • Non-Bailable Offence
  • Criminal Breach of Trust
  • Forgery
  • Misappropriation

15.2 Keywords

  • Bail
  • Criminal Breach of Trust
  • Forgery
  • Singapore
  • High Court

17. Areas of Law

Area NameRelevance Score
Criminal Procedure90
Criminal Law90
Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act70
Forgery70
Fraud and Deceit60
Banking and Finance10
Company Law10
Bankruptcy10
Schemes of Arrangement10
Garnishee Proceedings10
Contract Law10

16. Subjects

  • Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Bail