29 July 2012
A SPECIALIST army officer colluded with four accomplices and cheated Marina Bay Sands of nearly S$150,000 in July and August last year. Now suspended from duty, Toh Kaida, 29, was jailed for two years.
When he pleaded guilty early this month, the court heard that the mastermind was Ho Boon Keat, 29, who was then working at the casino as a surveillance operator. When he was on duty, his accomplices would stake out the Sic Bo tables. Pleading for leniency on behalf on Toh, defence counsel Josephus Tan said that Toh had made restitution of S$10,000 to the casino, which was his share of the criminal proceeds. Three other accomplices have also been dealt with. Ho was sentenced to three years in jail while ex-specialist officer Ang Chee Peng, 28, received two-and-a-half years. Former truck driver Benson Ho, 25, was jailed one year and two months.
The case against the fifth accomplice, Bai Qipei, 24, a deliveryman, will be heard next month. He too will be pleading guilty. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network
