Former China tour guide Yang Yin plans to contest criminal case

Posted on 30 March 2016 | 236 views | 0 comments

Carolyn Khew and Toh Yong Chuan
The Straits Times
29 March 2016

Former China tour guide Yang Yin will be claiming trial for all 349 criminal charges brought against him, his lawyer said on Tuesday (March 29).

Mr Wee Pan Lee, who is representing Yang in the criminal case, told The Straits Times: "He is claiming trial, for now. Things can change."

Yang, 42, who has been in remand since October 2014 after he was denied bail, turned up in court on Tuesday when his criminal case was fixed for mention.

He was seen in the accused holding room dressed in a purple jumpsuit with neatly trimmed hair, occasionally peering out of the room when Mr Wee was outside.

Yang faces more than 300 charges over immigration offences and the falsification of receipts made to his company, Young Music and Dance Studio.

The most serious charges, however, are two counts of criminal breach of trust for allegedly misappropriating $1.1 million from 89-year-old wealthy widow Madam Chung Khin Chun. These charges will be heard in a separate trial, Mr Wee said.

For each charge, he could be jailed up to seven years and fined.

In 2008, Yang met Madam Chung, a retired physiotherapist, when he acted as her private guide during a China trip.

A year later, he moved into her bungalow and claimed the widow wanted him to be her "grandson".

He was later given the right to manage her assets and welfare under the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) which has since been revoked.

An earlier will made in 2010 in which he stood to inherit all of Madam Chung's assets has also been replaced by a new statutory will, and most of Madam Chung's fortune will now go to charity.

Separately, Madam Chung's niece Madam Hedy Mok is also suing Yang in the High Court for allegedly manipulating her aunt into handing over control of her assets worth $40 million.

This article was first published on March 29, 2016.
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