新加坡金融管理局 (MAS) 對 9 家金融機構 (FI) 處以總計 2,745 萬新加坡元的罰款，原因是它們在 2023 年曝光的重大反洗錢 (AML) 醜聞中存在合規違規行為。
這起事件導致新加坡警方從十名與家族辦公室有聯繫的華裔嫌疑犯手中繳獲了28億美元。他們與十多家新加坡金融機構有銀行業務往來，其中包括一些最大的本地和國際銀行。這些金融機構和金融機構在新加坡金融管理局（MAS）於2023年初至2025年初開展的調查中被發現。金融機構和其他公司已提交報告，稱其使用疑似偽造文件來證明銀行帳戶資金來源。調查發現，這些嫌疑犯透過取得工作證，以自己的名義註冊了外國和本地公司，從而使其居留合法化。他們利用這些公司開設銀行帳戶，轉移非法資金。這些資金被用來購買房產和奢侈品。
所有十名嫌疑人均已被判犯有洗錢罪和其他罪行，被判處13至17個月監禁，並被驅逐出境，不得再次進入新加坡。從這些人身上查獲的財產中，超過90%（總額約9.4億多新加坡元）已被國家沒收。另有17名非新加坡居民已展開調查。
這起醜聞促使多項監管措施出台，包括制定更嚴格的客戶審查協議、加強反洗錢規則並對家族辦公室進行更嚴格的審查。
新加坡金融管理局表示，大多數涉事金融機構已製定反洗錢政策和控制措施，違規行為源自於這些政策和控制措施執行不力或不一致。這些金融機構已開始糾正這些缺陷，新加坡金融管理局將密切監測其進展。
未能確定並證實高風險客戶的財富來源是發現的主要缺陷之一。近期被罰款的九家金融機構均未能發現或充分跟進資訊和文件中指出的重大差異或危險信號，而這些資訊和文件本應對某些客戶所謂的財富來源產生懷疑。在某些情況下，這些來源的重要方面並未得到證實。
調查也發現客戶風險評估不力，其中五家公司未能實施充分的程序，因此未能對高風險相關人員實施適當的控制。此外，幾家金融機構還存在交易監控薄弱和未報告可疑交易的情況。
一些個人還被發出了禁令和譴責。
這項公告結束了新加坡金融管理局針對涉案機構的執法行動，不過，一旦法律程序完成，針對部分個人的行動仍可能持續。
然而，新加坡金融管理局也發布了新的監管預期，要求金融機構根據其在該案中的調查結果，採取相應的控制措施。銀行業也發布了關於實施這些控制措施的最佳實務報告，尤其是在財富來源佐證方面。
新加坡金融管理局強調的關鍵經驗教訓包括：金融機構有義務在客戶風險評估中考慮來自多重國籍客戶的反洗錢風險，包括透過投資入籍和居留權計畫。金融機構還應制定指導方針，以發現和上報重大危險信號；以適當的嚴謹性評估財富來源的合理性；在提交可疑交易報告或決定退出客戶帳戶後採取充分的風險緩解措施；並在不同業務部門之間共享客戶及其相關帳戶的信息，以促進發現危險信號。金融機構也應在必要時在內部識別和上報問題，以便採取適當的風險緩解措施。
Singapore's regulator issues new supervisory expectations arising from 2023 AML scandal
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has imposed total penalties of SGD27.45 million on nine financial institutions (FIs) for compliance failures related to the major anti-money laundering (AML) scandal exposed in 2023.
The affair resulted in the seizure of USD2.8 billion from ten Singapore-resident suspects of Chinese origin, with connections to family offices. They had banking relationships with more than ten Singapore FIs, including some of the biggest local and international banks, which emerged during MAS' investigations from early 2023 to early 2025. FIs and other companies had filed reports on the use of suspected forged documents to substantiate sources of funds in bank accounts. The suspects were found to have registered foreign and local companies under their names by securing work passes to legitimise their stay. They had used these companies to open bank accounts to funnel illicit funds. These funds were used to purchase properties and luxury items.
All ten subjects have since been convicted of money laundering and other offences, sentenced to imprisonment of between 13 and 17 months and deported and barred from re-entering Singapore. More than 90 per cent of the properties seized from these individuals, totalling approximately more than SGD940 million, have been forfeited to the state. Investigations were launched against 17 persons not based in Singapore.
The scandal has already led to several regulatory initiatives to institute stricter client scrutiny protocols, tighten AML rules and bring family offices under closer scrutiny.
MAS says most of the FIs concerned had established AML policies and controls and the breaches arose out of poor or inconsistent implementation of these policies and controls. The FIs have started to remedy these deficiencies and MAS will monitor their progress closely.
The failure to establish and corroborate source of wealth of customers who posed a higher risk was one of the principal shortcomings found. All nine of the recently fined FIs failed to detect or adequately follow up on significant discrepancies or red flags noted in information and documents that should have cast doubt on some customers’ purported sources of wealth. In some cases, there was no corroboration of significant aspects of these sources.
Poor customer risk assessment was also identified, with five of the firms failing to implement adequate procedures and consequently failing to apply appropriate controls to higher-risk persons of interest. Weak transaction monitoring and failure to report suspicious transactions were also seen in several of the FIs.
Prohibition orders and reprimands were also issued against some individuals.
The announcement concludes MAS’ enforcement actions against institutions involved in the case, although action against some individuals may continue once legal proceedings are completed.
However, MAS has also issued new supervisory expectations regarding the controls that FIs should now implement to address its findings in the case. The banking industry has also published best practice papers on implementing these controls, particularly in the area of sources-of-wealth corroboration.
The key lessons emphasised by MAS include a duty for FIs to consider AML risks emanating from customers with multiple nationalities, including through citizenship- and residency-by-investment schemes, in the customer risk assessment. They should also institute guidance to detect and escalate material red flags; apply appropriate rigour in assessing the plausibility of sources of wealth; take adequate risk mitigation measures after filing a suspicious transaction report or after deciding to exit the customer accounts; and share information on customers and their related accounts across different business units, to facilitate detection of red flags. FIs should also identify and escalate concerns internally where warranted, so that appropriate risk mitigation measures can be taken.
Sources
• MAS
• MAS (resulting supervisory expectations)
• STEP International News 14 October 2024: Singapore announces further AML reforms
• STEP International News 8 August 2024: Singapore's AML Bill removes need to prove link to predicate offences