More S'poreans linked to global
match-fixing scandal
THEY
LURK IN THE SHADOWS
FOCUS: Dan Tan Seet Eng, the
man at the epicentre of match-fixing allegations in Europe.
KELONG: Wilson Raj Perumal
One of two brothers said to be new
players
A businessman operating out of
Little India
Anthony Santia
Raj
A spa owner
Gaye Alassane
TNP FILE PICTURES
REPORT: ZAIHAN MOHAMED YUSOF and
DILENJIT SINGH
WHILE the world seems fixated with Dan Tan Seet Eng, the man at
the epicentre of match-fixing allegations in Europe, perhaps the
focus should be on the "others".
That is the suggestion made by two European-based
anti-corruption investigators.
Like Tan, the "others" are Singaporean and involved
in the murky world of match-fixing, the investigators told The New
Paper yesterday.
While they might lurk in the shadows cast by the
spotlight on Tan and Wilson Raj Perumal, their exploits are known
to those who have followed their trail.
One of the investigators, who wanted to be known
only as John, said: "With the spotlight trained on Singapore and
Dan Tan's syndicate, it deflects the glare on others doing the same
fixing globally.
"These Singaporeans have been operating below the
radar."
Perhaps not for long.
Europol's statement two days ago that 680 matches
worldwide were fixed by syndicate members based in Singapore could
possibly put some heat on them.
John, who was involved in the global "kelong" probe
after convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj was arrested in Finland in
2011, said: "Some of their activities are known to law enforcement
agencies, yet they have not been exposed in the media.
"It's not accurate to say that Dan Tan was solely
in control of all the fixes in Europe or other parts of the world
The others should also share the blame."
Another investigator, who declined to be named,
said he believes there are about five major players, including
financiers with their own group of runners as well as
match-fixers.
TNP understands that these groups have been named
in one way or another in global investigations.
Reports have mentioned them operating in regions
like Latin America, Africa, Asia, parts of the Middle East and
Europe.
The investigator said: "We have photographed them
at international friendlies and documented and verified their
contacts with corrupt players and officials. We know them."
The financiers
Little India
businessman
One of the more recent fixes foiled by world
governing football body Fifa was an international friendly played
in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March 2011.
Two representatives-financed by a businessman
operating in Little India and is said to have ties with a local
triad here - were sent there to ensure the fix would go
smoothly.
But Fifa investigators got wind of the attempted
fix and planted their men among the spectators.
Somehow, the two men were tipped off and decided to
leave before half-time. They probably realised they were being
watched.
A Fifa report revealed the group had lost up to
US$5 million (S$6.19 million) on that match.
The Brothers
Another Singaporean group's existence was exposed
in 2009 when its leader and an accomplice were arrested in
Syria
Led by two brothers, the group had been described
by insiders as "the new kids on the block".
Said John: "They were detained on arrival in Syria
for possession of US$50,000, which they admitted they had (brought)
with the intention of betting on the Syrian football league and
bribing some players to fix match results."
The Syrian players approached by the Singapore
group had reported the matter to the authorities.
"The two Singaporeans wete brought before the
public prosecutor on January 2010, and they were later deported,"
John said.
Spa owner
He was briefly mentioned in Italy's Cremona
investigation papers, but may have escaped closer scrutiny.
According to investigators, the Singaporean
businessman in his 50s is said to be a big fish who is able to
finance his own match-fixing.
He was also linked to the foiled fix in the UAE in
2011.
TNP understands he had provided part of the money
needed for the UAE fix.
Surprisingly, the businessman, who owns spas here,
had also accompanied Dan Tan's accomplices to Italy.
Unknown to them, the group had been monitored by
the Italian authorities in relation to the alleged fixing in Serie
A and Serie B.
While there, they met Tan's Balkan contacts, whom
the Italian authorities said had approached players in the
leagues.
The match-fixers
Other than the money men mentioned above, there are people on
the ground who organise the fixes.
They are not low-level operators such as money
couriers, but trusted lieutenants who set up fixes by meeting
corrupt players or match officials, said the unnamed
investigator.
He said; "How many times have you heard the names
Anthony Santia Raj and Gaye Alassane appear in match-fixing
probes?
"They've been physically spotted in countries in
Latin America and their names also appear in the recent probe on
suspicious South Africa pre-World Cup friendlies."
Santia Raj organised the infamous international
friendlies in Antalya, Turkey, between Estonia and Bulgaria, and
Latvia and Bolivia
All the seven goals scored in the matches came from
penalties and the Hungarian referees recruited by Santia Raj have
since been banned for life by Fifa.
Alassane, meanwhile, was named.in a Fifa report on
allegedly compromised pre-World Cup friendlies in 2010, and was
fingered by El Salvador newspaper El Grafico for attempting, to fix
a Concacaf Champions League game in Panama City in 2009.
TNP has previously reported on some of these
"kelong kings".
When TNP contacted him previously, he denied any
involvement in match-fixing activities.
He admitted he was in both locations at the time
but claimed that he was "on holiday".
MATCH-FIXING
PROBE
Hundreds of matches fixed by vast
criminal network,
European police revealed on
Monday
425 Suspects Including referees,
players and other officials
14
Convicted so far including Wilson Raj
Perumal
At least 100 more prosecutions expected
151
Suspects in Germany alone
Bribes of up to $168,000 paid per match
$3.34 million
assets seized
Investigations based on analysis of 13,000 e-mails and
other materials
380 Suspicious
matches in Europe
5 Countries focus of investigation
300 suspicious matches outside
of Europe
Estimated $13.38 million
profits made from fixed matches
Largest bet profit revealed by Europol $1.18 million Austrian
Bundesliga Redbull Salzburg vs Hartberg
Singapore
Alleged base of betting cartel at the centre of European
investigation
$3.35
million in corrupt payments to those involved in
matches
Source: Europol Adapted from: AFP
Suspicions point beyond
Liverpool
LIVERPOOL aren't the only English club whose Champions League
matches have come under suspicion of being fixed.
More details have emerged after Europol revealed on
Monday that matches in Europe's premier club competition in the
past three to four years had been tainted by match-rigging.
Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet reported yesterday
that the European law enforcement agency is looking at the
Hungarian side Debrecen, which lost by a single goal to the Reds at
Anfield in 2009.
But it is not just Uverpool whose Champions League
matches have been implicated by Europol.
The New Paper understands that another English
club's Champions League match was targeted by fixers.
That match involved two of the biggest clubs in
European football and was played in Italy between the English
Premier League club and an Italian Serie A club.
A source said that investigators in Germany were
able to zero in on the compromised games through several thousand
confiscated betting slips.
The anti-corruption investigator, who declined to
be named, said: "These betting slips contained the names of the
matches and also put a spotlight on one betting agency in the UK
with links to match-fixers in Europe and Asia."
While the alleged fixers for the Champions League
matches were not Singaporean, they had indirect ties to local
match-fixers.
TNP previously reported about links between local
match-fixers and their European counterparts.
The Cremona investigation papers into match-fixing
in Italy showed links between alleged local match-fixing financier
Dan. Tan Seet Eng and eastern European match-riggers such as Zoltan
Kenesei, Latzslo Schultz and Balazs Polyak.
Wilson Raj Perumal's phone records after his arrest
in Finland in February 2011 also revealed connections with fixers
from around the world.
As with Liverpool, there is no suspicion of
wrongdoing on the part of the other English club involved in the
allegedly compromised match.
Said the anti-corruption investigator: "They (the
English team) didn't know anything about it. It was just the other
club involved who had match-fixing elements still existing in the
team,"
Singapore not doing enough?
GPC member says not
true
BIG
NEWS: (From left) Newspapers from
England, France and Germany on the scandal.
REPORT: ZAIHAN MOHAMED YUSOF
and DILENJIT SINGH
EUROPOL'S recent report on match-fixing has given Singapore a
bad name, said several experts interviewed by international wire
agencies.
Some of them have even accused Singaporean
authorities of not doing enough to crack down on the global "kelong
kings" in their own backyard. ·
But Government Parliamentary Committee member (Home
Affairs and Law) Alvin Yeo does not agree that Singapore is not
doing enough to assist the international effort against
match-fixing.
He told The New Paper yesterday: "We generally take
our international obligations very seriously, plus we pride
ourselves on being tough on crime, so I do find it a little hard to
believe we would not take these obligations seriously.
"I find it hard to believe that if there were
Interpol arrest warrants out for individuals and they were indeed
in Singapore that we wouldn't be taking steps to arrest them."
Mr Yeo added that what is coming out in media
reports might not be giving the full picture of how involved
Singapore authorities are.
He said: "It may be that they are cooperating fully
and the international agencies have no issue, but there may be some
analysts commenting in the public arena and their information may
not be totally accurate."
'Potential to
damage'
Speaking to AFP, Mr Jonathan Galaviz, managing
director of US-based consultancy Galaviz & Co, had said that
the Europol report has "the potential to severely damage the global
reputation of Singapore as a safe and ethical financial hub in
Asia".
Mr Galaviz, who has closely watched Asia's gaming
industry, added: "Singapore's public policy makers need to reassess
whether they have enough resources dedicated to monitoring and
enforcing laws relating to illegal gambling and sports corruption
in the country.
"Major questions will arise as to what the
government authorities in Singapore knew, when did they know it,
and why this illegal network running out of Singapore was not
caught sooner."
Mr Galaviz said it was "extremely disturbing" that
in the match-fixing case, "Singapore's status as a financial hub
was potentially being used for nefarious purposes".
On Monday, European anti-crime agency Europol said
that an organised crime syndicate based in Singapore was behind
about 680 suspicious matches, including qualifying games for the
World Cup, European Championships and the Champions League.
Mr Declan Hill, an author and investigative
journalist who believes gangs avoid detection by fixing the betting
companies as well as matches, recently called on authorities to
arrest Singaporean Dan Tan Seet Eng, who he said is an alleged
major "fixer" in Singapore.
"There's an effort to say that taking on
match-fixing is a complicated, sophisticated activity that involves
taking on dark, mysterious figures," Mr Hill, the author of The
Fix: Soccer and Organised Crime, told Reuters in an interview.
"We know the fixer. There's one guy who helped fix
games in over 50 countries in the world. This is Finnish police,
the Hungarian police, the German-police, the Italian police saying
this."
In response to queries from TNP, the police here
said: "The authorities in Singapore are assisting the European
authorities in their investigations into an international
match-fixing syndicate that purportedly involves Singaporeans.
"Singapore takes a strong stance against
match-fixing and is committed to working with international
enforcement agencies to bring down transnational criminal
syndicates, including those that involve the acts of Singaporeans
overseas, and protect the integrity of the sport."
News, The New Paper, Wednesday February 6 2013, Pg 2-4