SINGAPORE - A woman allegedly opened two shell companies, and the bank account of one of them was later used to receive suspected benefits of criminal activities totalling more than US$266,000 (S$371,500).

Susila Hyrawatty Hashim, 43, is said to have taken instructions from an unidentified person to open Aubright Lightings and Noxt Lightings.

Police said in a statement that this unidentified person is believed to have engaged in criminal conduct and allegedly accessed the firms' bank accounts to launder the benefits of criminal activities.

They did not disclose details about the alleged criminal activities.

On Monday (July 4), Susila was charged with being in possession of the benefits of alleged criminal activities and was later unable to satisfactorily disclose how she got hold of the monies.

She was also handed two charges under the Companies Act and an unrelated charge of methamphetamine consumption.

A search with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority revealed that she is currently a director and shareholder of both companies.

Court documents stated that Susila allegedly failed to exercise reasonable diligence in the discharge of her duties as a director of her two firms.

She is accused of failing to exercise any supervision over the companies' affairs between Aug 31 and late September last year.

And from Aug 31 last year, she allegedly had more than US$266,000 in Aubright Lightings' bank account and the monies were said to be the benefits of criminal activities.

Separately, she is also accused of consuming methamphetamine on or before March 7 this year.

Her case has been adjourned to Aug 1.

For being in possession of suspected ill-gotten gains and being unable to give a satisfactory account of where the monies came from, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined up to $150,000.