Budget debate: MHA to crack down on money laundering by punishing money mules of lower culpability

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be amending an Act covering corruption and other serious crimes to allow money laundering offences to be prosecuted at lower levels of culpability.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan said this will allow more money mules who receive and transfer tainted funds for criminal syndicates to be punished under the law.

"Today, a large proportion of investigations into money mules do not result in prosecutions, due to inherent difficulties in proving the money mule's intent to participate in moving monies for scam syndicates," said Mr Tan during the debate on his ministry's budget in Parliament on Thursday (March 3).

The amendments to the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes Act, which are scheduled to be made in the fourth quarter of this year, will help to address this issue.

In response to a question from Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir) on how the Government will tackle public disorder brought about by errant debt collection activities, Mr Tan said MHA will put in place a new debt collection regulatory framework.

This will include a new licence regime and introduce restrictions on what debt collectors can and cannot do.

In his speech, Mr Tan also announced that from July 1, 2023, all security officers will have to complete a training course on recognising terrorist threats before they can be deployed at any site.

The two-day course will equip officers with observational skills to identify suspicious people, objects or vehicles.

The course has been compulsory for security officers since Jan 1, 2020, except for those deployed at warehouses and condominiums. They are now required to undergo the training.

This will continue to raise the professionalism of the security industry and keep Singapore safe from terrorism, said Mr Tan.

As part of efforts to combat scams, MHA will also be introducing a rating system for e-commerce platforms later this year, based on the safety in which transactions are made.

Said Mr Tan: "This will help consumers understand the safety features offered by different e-marketplaces, so they can make an informed choice on where and how to do their online shopping."

The ministry will also require telecommunication companies to put in place enhanced safeguards in their networks, including blocking scam calls, SMSes and websites.

Mr Tan added that MHA is working with agencies to develop a framework that will help tackle a broader suite of online criminal activity, including child pornography, terrorism and content that incites violence.