Man Sentenced for Obstructing Investigations Into North Korea Sanctions Violations in Singapore

Manfred Low Cheng Jing, a Singaporean national, was sentenced to 15 weeks in prison by the Singapore State Courts for obstructing investigations into alleged violations of the U.N. sanctions regime on North Korea, the Singaporean 24-hour news channel CNA reported. Low worked as a director of oil trading and bunkering company Yuk Tung Energy in 2018 while it was being investigated by the Singapore Police Force over a ship-to-ship transfer of "gasoil" from the MT Yuk Tung ship to the North Korean-flagged ship Rye Song Gang 1. A commercial arrangement was made to have Yuk Tung Energy charter the MT Yuk Tung. Through his position, Low tallied invoices over the company's business dealings and reviewed contracts, explaining them to the company's "key decision-maker," Benito Aloria Yap.

Soon after news reports about the transfer, Yap removed all documents from the company's offices, instructing an employee to remove a computer used by a shipping executive to process bank documents, payment vouchers and bills, CNA said. Yap further ordered that Low's computer be removed, and it was taken to his home, where he disposed of it. Low later admitted that he illegally discarded his computer and mobile phone, both of which had information relevant to ongoing investigations into the transfer. Low was then sentenced for obstructing justice and Singapore's efforts to implement its domestic laws enforcing the U.N.'s North Korea sanctions regime, CNA reported.