M
Masamune Date
Guest
Nov 9, 2010
SOUTH KOREAN IN TROUBLE
$30k fine for taking out $7m
By Khushwant Singh
Failed to get cert to prove winnings
Police investigations revealed that Kim had been helping his uncle Park Dong Choel in catering to casino patrons. While the 43-year-old uncle was based in South Korea, he was often in Macau. Kim told police that his uncle and a group of his uncle's friends had gambled at Marina Bay Sands (MBS).
According to court documents, MBS executive Terry Kim Taesoo, 28, told Kim that he needed a certificate from the casino cashier to prove the money was winnings so he could leave the country with it. As it took too long to prepare the certificate, MBS senior executive Shin Jung Whoan, 31, arranged for Kim to receive a transaction slip. Under the impression that this was all he needed to bring the money out, Kim did not get the certificate. The cash seized by police is to be returned to him.
Kim Wooyeong was fined $30,000 for what is believed to be the biggest amount to date to be carried over the border. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
CARRYING two suitcases stuffed with $7 million cash winnings from Marina Bay Sands, South Korean Kim Wooyeong was stopped at the airport and arrested for failing to declare the money he was taking out of the country. It turned out that his uncle, an agent for casino patrons in Macau, had won the sum here with his friends and then asked Kim to bring the money back to Macau on Aug 24.
On Tuesday, the 28-year-old nephew was fined $30,000 for what is believed to be the biggest amount to date to be carried over the border. A district court heard that anyone moving $30,000 or more, or its equivalent in a foreign currency, must submit a report at a checkpoint. Failure to do so could mean the maximum $30,000 fine and/or up to three years in jail.
A district court heard that aviation security officer Eugene Lim, 35, stationed at the Budget Terminal at Changi Airport became suspicious when the X-ray screening machine showed that Kim's two briefcases were packed with wads of paper. A physical check was then carried out and officers found a total of $7.027 million in the bags.
