Justice V. K. Rajah said the sentence handed down to Wang Chin Sing by a district court was 'amply justified' and sent a clear message that organ trafficking would not be tolerated in Singapore.

'The appellant has peddled deceit, trafficked in organs and profiteered from misery,' said the appeal judge.

In delivering the grounds of his decision, Justice Rajah highlighted the role of 'shady middlemen' who exploit desperately ill buyers and financially disadvantaged sellers, usually inspired by 'unbridled avarice to maximise their financial returns' from each transaction.

In this case, Justice Rajah said, he agreed with District Judge Ng Peng Hong that Wang, 44, had played a major role in actively brokering the illegal deals.

Justice Rajah said there was no doubt in his mind that Wang 'must be fixed with the lion's share of the stigma of culpability' compared to the other parties implicated in the matter.

Wang, a medical concierge, had received the stiffest sentence among four men who have been sentenced in the case.

Ailing retail magnate Tang Wee Sung, 56, who offered Wang $300,000 in an attempt to buy a kidney, was fined $17,000 and jailed a day.

Indonesian SulaimanDamanik, 26, who would have sold his kidney to Mr Tang, was jailed two weeks.

Sulaiman's compatriot Toni, who was a runner for an organ-trafficking syndicate and had sold his kidney to an Indonesian woman, Ms Juliana Soh, was jailed three months and fined $2,000.

Wang appealed and yesterday, his lawyer, Mr Shashi Nathan, argued for the 14-month jail term to be reduced.

Mr Nathan contended that Wang was not the mastermind behind the illegal organ deals and he had not 'actively brokered' the transactions. The lawyer fingered the 'prime mover' as renal physician Dr Lye Wai Choong. No charges have been brought against the doctor.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheng Howe Ming argued that Wang played a crucial role in the two transactions, including sourcing for organ sellers and coaching them to lie.

The DPP argued that Wang was exploiting the poor and vulnerable.

On one hand, he lured impoverished sellers with huge sums of money.

On the other hand, he knew Mr Tang was wealthy and desperate for a kidney transplant, and so he raised his asking price, said the DPP.

Wang, who received $8,000 for the sale to Ms Soh, could potentially have pocketed as much as $150,000 had the deal involving Mr Tang gone through.

Justice Rajah said Wang's conduct in 'brazenly inflating' the value of his services to Mr Tang showed he was trying to take advantage of the businessman's vulnerability.

The judge said Wang not only tried to maximise his financial return and unscrupulously took advantage of Mr Tang and the two Indonesian men, but he also instigated them to lie and concocted an elaborate 'masquerade' to mislead an ethics panel.

Wang appeared calm on hearing that his appeal was dismissed. His wife and a few other family members were in court.

Mr Nathan told the court that his client's offer to return the money he had received from Mr Tang still stands.

However, the money, believed to be around $60,000, is being held in an account that was frozen during police investigations.

A fifth man, Whang Sung Lin, Tang's 44-year-old relative, has been charged with introducing Wang to Tang in return for a fee. His trial is expected to be held next year.

selinal@sph.com.sg