JUST who is the real David Rasif?
A father of three girls who married his NUS sweetheart?

Or a lawyer who allegedly faked his resume to some clients and a husband who allegedly had a long-lasting affair?

Mr Rasif and his wife, Madam Joyce Fong, appeared to outsiders as a happily married couple.

Then he vanished, allegedly with about $16 million of his clients' money.

A close family friend said that as Madam Fong dug around to make sense of his actions, she learnt some distressing news over the last two weeks.

Mr Rasif allegedly led a double life and carried on an affair which lasted eight years.

The Rasifs have been married for 15 years and have three girls, aged 12, 11 and 8.

LONG HOURS

The couple's marriage hasn't been all smooth-sailing. Mr Rasif kept long hours at work and Madam Fong wasn't happy that he didn't spend more time with the family.

Said the family friend, who declined to be named: 'She suspected he may have been having flings but she was shocked to hear of a long-term relationship.'

Friends The New Paper spoke to said Mr Rasif had been seen often with another woman.

He would often take her to his favourite pub, where the woman, who used to take part in singing contests, would belt out a tune or two.

A fellow lawyer who saw Mr Rasif and the other woman said: 'He was at the pub with a long-haired woman and they were pretty close.

'He introduced her as his girlfriend, but the thing with David is he's always smiling. It's hard to tell if he's joking.

'I noticed him stroking her hand and they appeared comfortable with each other.'

Although the alleged affair ended a year ago, Mr Rasif had allegedly been with the woman for about eight years.

The New Paper tried to contact the woman, who works in the civil service, but she was away on leave.

The family friend said: 'Madam Fong is shocked and anguished by the discovery. She suspected infidelity, but not one that lasted so long.'

The last two weeks have been tough for the family Mr Rasif left behind.

There had been rumblings that Madam Fong must have known of his plans to disappear.

Part of the problem was that people assumed the couple went to Bangkok for a holiday together.

It turned out that Madam Fong, an in-house legal counsel for the Singapore Stock Exchange, was there for its dinner and dance.

The three-day event was held from 2 Jun, but she had to pay for the ticket in advance.

The family friend claimed Mr Rasif surprised Madam Fong by saying he wanted to join her a few days before she left.

But he couldn't get tickets on her flight and had to fly to Bangkok on a different airline.

Mr Rasif didn't turn up for the party, which had a retro theme.

According to Madam Fong, the last time she saw him was on 5 Jun.

A family friend said: 'He told her he had some business to attend to. She flew back alone, only to find herself having to pick up the pieces.'

Mr Rasif is registered as a director of more than a dozen companies here.

Madam Fong returned to news that he was linked to the disappearance of his client's money.

The next shock came when he couldn't be contacted on his handphone.

But that wasn't the end of it. As the family made enquiries about his actions, Madam Fong learnt of the alleged affair.

Anguished and angry, she began to have doubts about the man she married, the family friend said.

Her confusion turned to anger when she learnt he was linked to the missing money.

Now there's also a deep sense of betrayal.

She has been consulting a lawyer in the hope that her children will be shielded from the fallout.

But there's a chance that she might lose her home.

The plaintiffs - a Singapore permanent resident and his foreign wife - have filed for a Mareva injunction, which would freeze Mr Rasif's assets, to recover the missing millions.

The assets include the couple's marital home, - a condominium unit in Toa Payoh and another unit in Tanjong Rhu - both of which she jointly owns.

'She has lost her husband and now, she could be losing her home too,' said the family friend.

Since 5 Jun, Madam Fong has had too much on her mind - a missing husband, money that vanished, an alleged affair.

But for now, she remains focused on the children.

School holidays will be over this week and the family wants to be sure the children will be all right to return to school.

His friends said Mr Rasif had a habit of bragging about big clients who don't exist and money he doesn't really have.

LIED IN RESUMES

It turns out he may have been lying in his resume to some clients too.

In copies of his CVs, Mr Rasif claimed to have spent time at the top US and UK universities of Princeton and Cambridge.

The family friend said: 'He had sent the file out to various people. She's at a loss as to why he would do such a thing.'

As Madam Fong digs deeper, she seems to be coming up with more and more distressing information.

And she must be wondering not just where, but who is this man she married?

AN expatriate couple have applied to the High Court to freeze the assets of lawyer David Rasif.

They are seeking the return of about $16 million which was meant for the purchase of a District 10 bungalow.

The man is a director of a listed investment company here.

The property deal was being handled by Mr Rasif.

The couple have since engaged lawyers from Rodyk & Davidson.

The New Paper understands that Senior Counsel Philip Jeyaratnam was mentioned in court documents as one of the lawyers acting for them.

Mr Jeyaratnam is also the president of the Law Society.

Other than Mr Rasif, the couple named four individuals and two companies in their suit. It is not known how they are linked to him.

Up to $11m was moved through cheques and telegraphic transfers between several countries from 31 May to 2 Jun, the day Mr Rasif flew to Bangkok.

Mr Rasif had allegedly convinced a long-time friend and client to let him wire about US$620,000 ($990,000) into his Vietnamese bank account, The Straits Times reported yesterday.

Mr Rasif later sent someone to Ho Chi Minh City to collect US$500,000 from him. The rest of the money remained in the friend's account or was used on Mr Rasif's instruction for expenses to move the money across borders.

Those named in the suit include Madam Rohaya Mohamed Yassin, who was said to have received a cheque for $1.08 million.

Mr Ho Chi Kwong and Mr Lim Soon Kiang and two firms - Jewels Defred and Ingenious Ideas International - were named as having received more than $3 million.

Also named in the suit was Mr A Moorthy, who was said to have received a cheque for $780,000.

The money was believed to be part of what the couple had handed to Mr Rasif.

Mr Rasif was last seen with his wife in Bangkok on 5 Jun and has not been heard from since.

The Law Society then shut down his firm, David Rasif & Partners, in Carpenter Street.