A Singapore Permanent Resident who was an official in China was sentenced to life in jail for embezzling S$19.4 million in China. The former local finance officer in Jiang Xi province, Li Hua Bo, was listed among China’s most wanted fugitive.
In 2011, Li Hua Bo arrived in Singapore and eventually secured permanent residency as the Singapore authorities do not impose stringent background checks on foreigners applicants. The Chinese national was arrested in Singapore in 2013 after he transferred more than S$240,000 of the stolen funds into his Singapore bank account.
After being sentenced to 15 months jail in Singapore for money laundering, the Chinese national was repatriated back to China in May 2015. According to Chinese media reports, Li Hua Bo was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday (Jan 23).
The Singapore Immigration Checkpoint Authority (ICA) said that Li Hua Bo’s and his family’s permanent residency has been revoked. However, there is no response on the lapses of ICA on how did the wanted fugitive managed to secure permanent residency.