Maserati driver in hit-and-run case probed for illegal moneylending

He is also being investigated for online gambling and faces another charge of driving while disqualified

Lee Cheng Yan was under a driving ban when his car allegedly hit a Traffic Police officer in Bedok Reservoir Road on the night of Nov 17. He was taken to the State Courts yesterday (left).
Lee Cheng Yan was under a driving ban when his car allegedly hit a Traffic Police officer in Bedok Reservoir Road on the night of Nov 17. He was taken to the State Courts yesterday (above). ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Lee Cheng Yan (above) was under a driving ban when his car allegedly hit a Traffic Police officer in Bedok Reservoir Road on the night of Nov 17. He was taken to the State Courts yesterday. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

A Maserati driver, who was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident where a Traffic Police officer was dragged for about 100m, is now under investigation for offences including online gambling and unlicensed moneylending.

Lee Cheng Yan, 33, also faced an additional charge yesterday of driving while under disqualification.

He was first charged on Nov 18 with causing grievous hurt by performing a rash act.

He had been banned from holding or obtaining a driving licence for nine months - from July 4 this year to April 3 next year - during the incident in which his car allegedly hit Staff Sergeant Khairulanwar Abd Kahar along Bedok Reservoir Road at around 9.20pm on Nov 17.

This was not the first time that Lee had been charged with driving while under disqualification. In 2001, he was jailed for two months and banned from driving for 10 years for a similar offence.

Yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Jing Feng said that the authorities found out about Lee's online gambling activities only on Thursday.

He told District Judge Tan Jen Tse that Lee may face additional charges, and forensic work needs to be done to analyse devices such as computers and mobile phones

DPP Quek applied for him to be remanded for another week.

"If (Lee) is released, he may alter or destroy the evidence. He knows what he has done, and he knows investigations have begun," said the DPP. He also said there is a risk that Lee might approach potential witnesses who are his friends.

Lee is represented by lawyers Tania Chin and Jeremy Pereira. Ms Chin objected to the prosecution's application, saying there is no real reason for Lee to be remanded while investigations are ongoing.

But Judge Tan granted DPP Quek's application, and Lee was remanded at Bedok Police Division. He will be back in court on Dec 1.

The police said last week that Staff Sgt Khairulanwar, 26, stopped Lee's vehicle on Nov 17 while conducting enforcement checks.

As he approached the car, Lee allegedly reversed and accelerated forward, hitting him. The officer is said to have been left clinging to the driver's door and dragged for about 100m before falling on the road.

He suffered serious injuries, according to court documents, and was taken to Changi General Hospital.

Officers later arrested Lee in a Geylang Bahru Road HDB flat. The Maserati was found abandoned in Cedar Avenue, off Upper Aljunied Road. If convicted of causing grievous hurt by performing a rash act, Lee can be jailed for up to four years and fined up to $10,000.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 25, 2017, with the headline Maserati driver in hit-and-run case probed for illegal moneylending. Subscribe