Singapore police said on Wednesday that the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) has confiscated more than S$300,000 from a 43-year-old man, who was convicted in 2016 of living on the earnings of prostitutes, on Tuesday.
The police said in a press release that Chue Chia Yong ran the website, www.SGsexcapades.net, to advertise the sexual services of more than 130 women and charged each of them monthly advertising fees in 2014.
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On Feb 2016, Chue was jailed for 12 months and two weeks for his crimes, including possessing and transmitting obscene films and using the benefits from criminal conduct. The court had ordered him to pay a penalty of S$20,217 for evading income tax.
Channel NewsAsia reported that Chue had spent S$45,200 of his earnings from the crime on his monthly rental of a condominium unit and loan repayment of a luxury car between April 2014 and December 2014.
CAD conducted further investigations and found that Chue accumulated an "unexplained wealth of S$523,045.06" in the same period. Following this, the authority sought a confiscation order against Chue to have the residual illegal assets, amounting to S$305,748.83, forfeited.
The police also said that they will take necessary action if required to deny criminals of their ill-gotten gains. "Any person who is convicted of a serious offence is subjected to have the benefits derived by him from criminal conduct confiscated," the police told Channel NewsAsia.
If anyone is found knowingly living on the earnings of a prostitute, he may be sentenced up to five years of jail and fined up to S$10,000. The police added that repeat offenders may be caned as well.
