SINGAPORE – In a rare move, 32 questions on the $1.8 billion money laundering case submitted in Parliament on Monday will be deferred and answered in a ministerial statement in October. The questions were supposed to be addressed on Monday.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling told Parliament that many MPs had filed questions on the anti-money laundering operation conducted by the police and on Singapore’s anti-money laundering framework.

She said the queries covered a wide range of issues across several ministries. She sought permission from Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), together with other ministries, to respond to the queries comprehensively in a ministerial statement in October.

The 32 questions had been set for oral replies, while another 11 were to be addressed via written answers.

Mr Zulkifli Baharudin, a former Nominated MP, told The Straits Times that the deferment of this many questions was rare, and he could not remember the last time when so many questions were set to be answered in a ministerial statement.

He said: “This matter is still under police investigation, and because of the severity and public interest in this case, there cannot just be a holding statement given in Parliament.”

A ministerial statement would allow questions to be addressed in a comprehensive way, he said.

Mr Zulkifli, who was NMP from 1997 to 2001, added: “It is a good move by the ministries as this case has wide implications, and it is very difficult for the Government to just respond to questions without being very deliberate and careful in handling the issues various constituents have raised.”

The slew of questions from MPs comes after 10 foreigners – nine men and one woman – were charged on Aug 16 with offences including money laundering, forgery and resisting arrest.

Aged 31 to 44, they were originally from China and are now of various nationalities.

The police had said 105 properties, estimated to be worth $831 million, were issued with prohibition of disposal orders in relation to the case. These included seven detached bungalows in Sentosa Cove and 79 condominium units.

MPs wanted to know what measures Singapore used to detect money laundering and prevent it from happening here.

Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast GRC) asked how the Government will step up checks on those from high-risk “golden passport” jurisdictions and if anti-money laundering laws here needed to be tightened.

A golden passport is one granted by a country in exchange for a big investment or a donation.

More than 100 nations, including Vanuatu and Turkey, currently offer citizenship or long-term residency in exchange for such investments or donations.

Two of the accused are nationals of these countries. Su Jianfeng, 35, is a Vanuatu national, while Vang Shuiming, 42, is a Turk.

Mr Patrick Tay (Pioneer) asked what more can be done to prevent individuals under false identities or those with criminal intent to conduct cross-border organised crimes from obtaining work, employment or dependant passes.

Mr Melvin Yong (Radin Mas) asked how many individuals have held directorial and secretarial roles in more than 100 companies concurrently in the past five years. He also asked if MHA will consider imposing a statutory limit on the number of companies a person can hold directorial and secretarial roles in.

On Sept 3, ST reported that the listing of a Singapore resident as director, secretary and shareholder of 185 companies here had sparked concerns, after it emerged that several of the firms were linked to three of the accused.

Mr Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) asked what processes the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has in place before granting foreigners approval to purchase landed residential properties in Sentosa Cove and if the SLA will review its processes for conducting such checks.

Two of the accused, Chinese national Zhang Ruijin, 44, and his lover Lin Baoying, 43, reside at a bungalow at Pearl Island in Sentosa Cove.

On Aug 15, the police conducted a massive islandwide blitz, hitting several good class bungalows and high-end condos across Singapore.

The operation involved more than 400 officers led by the Commercial Affairs Department.

On Sept 13, in arguing against bail for Cypriot national Su Haijin, who is one of the accused, the prosecution said this was one of the most serious, if not the worst, money laundering cases in Singapore.