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FBI
Mr. Tan Wee Beng is director of two companies in Singapore
A Singaporean trader sought by the FBI for allegedly helping North Korean entities escape US sanctions categorically denied "all charges" against him.
Tan Wee Beng told the BBC that he had only been informed that criminal charges were brought against him through new ones.
"No one contacted me – the FBI did not call me, the Singapore police did not call me," he said.
US federal prosecutor Geoffrey Barman on Thursday called Mr. Tan a "fugitive of the American justice".
In the same statement from the justice department, FBI deputy director William Sweeney said the Singaporean had "carried out illicit transactions for millions of dollars in support of North Korean entities, in flagrant violation of the law." A multitude of economic sanctions imposed by the United States on North Korea and North Korea ".
The US Treasury has now imposed sanctions on Mr. Tan and two companies with which he is related – Wee Tiong (S) Pte Ltd and WT Marine Pte Ltd. He is a director of Wee Tiong (S) and General Manager of WT Marine.
Mr. Tan, a high-level businessman, has, over the course of several years, "made millions of dollars in commodity contracts for North Korea," said the Treasury Department.
- Luxury goods "illegally sent to North Korea"
- How does North Korea escape sanctions?
A US federal arrest warrant was issued against Mr. Tan on Aug. 29, but the Justice Department announced Thursday the indictment against him.
He has been charged with conspiracy to violate US sanctions, as well as bank fraud and money laundering.
"I only learned about it today via the internet, that shocked me," said the BBC, 41, at a phone call on Friday. morning in Singapore. He said that he denied all the accusations.
"We are an international trading company and not a facade [for laundering]", he said, adding that he had instructed lawyers to defend him.
Tan also challenged the FBI's claims that he was "on the run". A request for comment has been sent to the Singapore Police.
The United States and Singapore have signed an extradition treaty, but it covers only specific offenses and does not include money laundering.
Mr. Tan was once considered a prominent Singaporean entrepreneur, who had been named 2011 contractor by the EY accounting firm.
Under his leadership, Wee Tiong's annual revenues grew by 131% in a decade, reaching more than 460 million Singapore dollars ($ 330 million), the Straits Times announced in 2015.
