S'pore court dismisses alleged kelong king Dan Tan's plea against detention without trial
Alleged kelong king Dan Tan Seet Eng failed in a legal challenge against his detention without trial on Wednesday (Nov 19), his lawyer said.
The businessman, who is accused of masterminding an international football match-fixing ring, lodged his plea with the Singapore High Court.
In a closed hearing, the court dismissed the demand, lawyer Hamidul Haq said.
Tan, 50, is being held under a law that allows for indefinite detention and is typically used against organised criminals.
The suspected ringleader was one of 14 people detained in a crackdown on match-fixing rings last year.
'Difficulty of finding evidence'
Authorities have said they invoked the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act, which allows for indefinite detention with yearly reviews, due to the difficulty of finding evidence against him.
Tan is wanted in Italy for allegedly playing a role in a wide-ranging football betting scandal, which implicated a swathe of big names and clubs.
He has also been charged in absentia in Hungary for allegedly manipulating 32 games in three European countries.
The Singaporean has been named by Interpol as "the leader of the world’s most notorious match-fixing syndicate".
Experts have said that easy international transport, a passport accepted around the world and fluency in English and Mandarin have helped Singaporean fixers spread their influence abroad with the support of external investors, believed to be from China.
Source: AFP
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