Tuesday, November 14, 2006

All 23 people charged with offences relating to an illegal gambling den at
Senegal's consulate in Singapore have posted bail and are scheduled to
return to court, news reports said yesterday. The five people accused of
assisting in managing the consulate's premises as a gambling house each
posted S$20,000 ($19,600) bail on Friday and were scheduled to return to
court on December 8. They include retired businessman Tan Kim Sing, 59;
logistics officer Leong Choon Kwai, 34; Johnson Lim Boon Wah, 32; Lee Swee
Keong, 32; and Ang Poon Beng, 48, according to The Straits Times report.
Police raided the five-storey consulate building on November 3 and found
three of its meetings rooms had baccarat tables and the fourth was being
used as a bedroom. The consulate was doubling as an illegal casino, packing
in up to 100 enthusiasts a night, with bets ranging from a minimum S$100
($64) up to S$30,000. Another three men and 15 women, mostly Indonesians,
were released on S$10,000-bail after indicating they wanted to plead guilty
to helping manage the casino as card dealers and dice tossers, the report
said. They are scheduled to return to court on November 17. All 23 face
fines of between S$5,000 and 50,000 and up to three years in prison. Benny
Kusni, the honorary consul, is out on bail of S$10,000. The 36-year-old
Indonesian had earlier insisted he knew nothing about the den and only
handled visa matters at the consulate. International conventions do not
grant honorary consuls immunity from local authorities.