SINGAPORE - A 23rd man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in the illegal sale of marine fuel oil worth an estimated $97,000 on board a Singapore-registered tanker in January.
The 25-year-old man was arrested with the assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police on Thursday (March 15), the Singapore Police Force said in a statement on Friday.
The Malaysian man was nabbed in Malaysia, The Straits Times understands.
He will be charged in court with the offence of criminal breach of trust, which is punishable with a jail term of up to 15 years and a fine.
His arrest comes after 22 men were arrested and charged in court last month for their involvement in the same case.
The first 11 men, Indonesians aged between 23 and 45, were arrested on Feb 5.
Another 11 men, two Singaporeans and nine foreign crew members of a Singapore-registered vessel aged between 21 and 40, were nabbed that same week.
The men on the foreign-registered vessel allegedly purchased stolen oil from the men on the Singapore-registered vessel, which they had allegedly misappropriated without a company's knowledge.
The police received a tip-off on Jan 19 that a foreign-registered vessel was involved in the illegal sale of 200 metric tons of marine gas oil. Officers traced the vessel through follow-up investigations.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun, Commander of the Police Coast Guard, thanked the Royal Malaysia Police for their "swift efforts in locating and arresting the suspect".
"The arrest would not have been possible without the close collaboration and strong relationship between the Singapore Police Force and Royal Malaysia Police," he said.
