PETALING JAYA: Spanish authorities investigating the tragic murder of Audrey Fang, a Singaporean woman in Spain, have discovered that the main suspect, Mitchell Ong, was named as a beneficiary in Fang’s Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings.
According to Channel News Asia, Ong, 43, who was arrested on April 16 in connection with Fang’s brutal murder.
Fang’s body was found on April 10, about 150km from her hotel, bearing 30 stab wounds.
According to a report by Spanish news outlet La Verdad, a court in Cieza was informed on May 16 by the CPF Board that Fang had designated Ong as her CPF beneficiary.
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CPF is a mandatory social security savings scheme funded by contributions from both employers and employees in Singapore.
Upon the account holder’s death, these savings are allocated to the nominee or nominees designated by the individual.
Fang, 39, had an accumulated sum of €340,000 (approx. RM1.73 million) in her CPF accounts.
Spanish authorities are probing a potential financial motive behind the murder.
They had discovered a draft CPF nomination note on Fang’s iPad, dated March 24, indicating her intention to nominate an undisclosed individual, citing their friendship and trust.
The note also referenced a S$50,000 (RM174,207) loan extended to Fang, attributed to their previous friendship.
WhatsApp messages from October 2023 between Ong and Fang revealed the former’s gratitude message to the latter for being named her CPF beneficiary.
Spanish authorities are also examining hard drives and mobile phones belonging to Ong and Fang.
Last month, they sought help from Singaporean authorities to get banking and insurance information related to both.
Adding complexity, it was revealed in April that Fang had bought two insurance policies from Ong in 2015.
These policies, sold under the name Ong Cheong Yi, were linked to AIA, where Ong worked between 2014 to 2019.
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Before these findings, Fang’s family had no idea about her relationship with Ong.
They now plan to work with authorities to determine if Ong was named a beneficiary in any insurance policies or CPF accounts of Fang.
