Two men claim trial for dealing in illegal cable television set-top boxes

Daniel Chen Wenqiang (left) and Foo Yong Chun have been charged with attempting to sell two hundred and thirty-three digital set-up boxes which they claimed they did not know were illegal. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW/PHOTO: COURTESY OF STARHUB
Daniel Chen Wenqiang (left) and Foo Yong Chun have been charged with attempting to sell two hundred and thirty-three digital set-up boxes which they claimed they did not know were illegal. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW/PHOTO: COURTESY OF STARHUB

SINGAPORE - Two men who have been charged for dealing in illegal cable television set-top boxes have indicated that they may claim trial.

Daniel Chen Wenqiang, 32, and Shaun Foo Yong Chun, 27, both sent lawyer's letters to StarHub last week claiming that they did not know the digital set-top boxes they were selling were illegal.

The set-top boxes purportedly allowed users to watch StarHub's channels for free by decrypting its broadcast signals.

Both men were charged on May 7 following a raid last year of a storage facility in Tampines, where 233 such boxes were found. They both appeared in court briefly on Wednesday.

Foo, who was found at the storage facility during the raid, faces two charges of importing and selling the set-top boxes, while Chen, who was the subscriber of three mobile phone numbers printed on flyers advertising the boxes, faces one charge of dealing with unauthorised decoders.

If found guilty of the offences under the Broadcasting Act, they each face up to three years' jail and a fine of up to $40,000.

Both men will next appear in court on July 16.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.