PETALING JAYA: A 19-year-long manhunt for Singaporean tycoon Ng Teck Lee, 58, and his wife Thor Chwee Hwa, 55, ended on Dec 3, with their arrest in Johor Bahru by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
According to The Straits Times, the pair were handed over to Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) the same day.
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Ng, former CEO and president of Citiraya Industries, a listed recycling firm, had been evading authorities since 2005.
The company specialised in recycling electronic waste and recovering precious metals from items like used computer chips.
Its clients included major semiconductor companies such as AMD, Intel, and Infineon.
However, instead of processing the electronic scrap to extract precious metals, Ng allegedly diverted the items for overseas sale, pocketing over US$51 million (approx. RM227.87 million)) between 2003 and 2004.
Investigations revealed that Ng sold diverted shipments—62 in total, amounting to 89 tonnes—of electronic scrap to syndicates in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The operation unraveled in December 2004, when a chip meant for destruction resurfaced during a Taiwanese police operation.
Ng, described as the scheme’s mastermind, allegedly bribed employees and collaborators with nearly $2 million (approx. RM80.94 million).
His wife, Thor, played a key role in facilitating the fraudulent activities.
Twelve individuals have already been convicted, with sentences ranging from eight months to eight years.
Ng and Thor fled Singapore as CPIB intensified investigations.
The couple reportedly lived under assumed identities to evade capture. In 2011, authorities seized S$23 million (approx. RM 102.76 million) worth of assets tied to Ng, including properties, bank accounts, and insurance policies, marking CPIB’s largest asset seizure against a single individual.
CPIB Director of Investigations Vincent Lim praised MACC for its critical role in the arrest, stating: “The successful arrest of the two Singaporean fugitives involved in this significant corruption case after almost two decades attests to the longstanding ties and close cooperation between CPIB and MACC.”
Ng will face a charge of criminal breach of trust, while Thor will be charged under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
“There is zero tolerance and no safe haven for those who choose to break our laws by engaging in corrupt or criminal activities,” he was quoted as saying.
“CPIB will spare no effort to track them down wherever they may hide and bring them to face justice in Singapore.”
