SINGAPORE - The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) on Wednesday (Sept 21) charged a 56-year-old Singaporean man in court for conducting estate agency work without being licensed and registered by CEA.

Shakir Khan, who had been on the run for the past decade, faces five charges - three for acting as an estate agent, and two for holding himself out as a salesperson of a licensed estate agent.

He was arrested in March this year when CEA officers discovered he could be conducting estate agency work illegally, CEA said in a press release.

It added that under the Estate Agents Act, it is an offence for someone to act as an estate agent or salesperson in any property transaction without first being licensed or registered with CEA.

Shakir's alleged offences included the facilitating of closing of a lease transaction for a HDB flat in Kallang in May 2012, and assisting a tenant in renewing the lease of his HDB flat in Bedok on two occasions in August 2011 and August 2012.

For the two renewals, he collected a total commission of $2,600.

More recently, he assisted a tenant to rent a flat in Ang Mo Kio sometime between January and February this year, and received a $700 commission.

According to CEA, it first started investigating Shakir in 2012 after a client filed a complaint against him. CEA officers were unable to locate Shakir despite several attempts to do so.

It was revealed that he had been put on the police's wanted persons list in 2006 for cheating offences.

The CEA has advised consumers to engage only licensed and registered property agencies or agents to assist them in their property transactions.

They can verify this via the public register on the CEA website.

Should they encounter anyone performing unlicensed and unregistered estate agency work, they should report the person to the CEA by calling 1800-6432555 or e-mailing feedback@cea.gov.sg.