Actor owing celebs thousands of dollars seen gambling in
casinos
SINGAPORE - The former part-time actor approached them about two
months ago with a sob story about needing money desperately for his
ailing mother.
Having known the man for more than 20 years, celebrity couple Hong
Hui Fang and Zheng Geping decided to help him and have lent him
$5,000 in total so far
Then they heard from friends that the former actor, who we shall
call A, had been seen gambling in the casinos here and word soon
got around in their circle of friends that A had also borrowed up
to five-digit sums from veteran A-list stars such as Zoe Tay, Chen
Guo Hua and Hong Kong actress Michelle Yim after telling them the
same sob story.
Hong and Zheng are now wondering if they will get their money back,
especially since some of the stars who lent him money have not been
able to reach him recently.
The couple said that A, who has acted in many MediaCorp dramas in
the past, had phoned them on separate occasions in the last two
months to say that he needed cash urgently to pay his rent and to
take care of his old ailing mother who had previously suffered a
stroke.
Zheng, 49, told The New Paper in Mandarin on Monday: "He called me
up and told me how pitiful his life is.
"He begged me to lend him some money so that he could pay his maid
who is taking care of his mother.
"I was worried about his mum, and I felt that he might be telling
the truth, so I lent him the money."
He added: "It's only when I heard from my friends that they had
seen him gambling in casinos here that I realised he had taken the
money to gamble.
"I am very disappointed because I felt that he shouldn't have lied
to us. Most importantly, he should ensure that his mum has a place
to stay and is okay now."
Hong, 53, said: "Every time he borrows money from actors, he would
use a different mobile phone number, and once the call ends, the
number would not be in use any more. No one can find him to get
back the money."
At least two stars said they heard that A had sold his flat to feed
his gambling habit and to pay off his gambling debts. He is said to
have rented a room which he shares with his
mother.
Some local artistes, including Zheng and Hong, are now trying to
find a charity organisation to take care of A's
mother.
Zheng said: "My wife did some research and texted him a list of
charity organisations that can take his mum in, but he did not
respond. As outsiders, this is all we can do to
help.
"We are not even thinking of getting our money back right now. All
we want is for his mother to have a roof over her
head."
Veteran actor Chen Guo Hua, 52, who had tried to contact A several
times, but to no avail, told Shin Min Daily News: "He had borrowed
money from me many times, but had not given back the
money.
"He called me once while leading a tour group in China and said he
needed to borrow money urgently. "He wanted me to transfer the
money to a bank account in Singapore.
"That was when I guessed that he might have wanted me to help him
repay money he had borrowed from loan sharks."
Veteran actress Xiang Yun was also approached by A last
month.
The 51-year-old told TNP: "He pleaded with me and I could hear that
he was in a dire state. I told him that if he wanted to borrow a
huge sum of money, I was unable to (help). My ATM card was not with
me at the time and I was busy having my car repaired, so I told him
I couldn't help him.
"He even told me that I am one of the few local celebs who had not
lent him money yet."
A, who used to be a tour guide, had also convinced some local
artists to invest in his travel agency business about two years
ago, telling them that they could receive profits after six
months.
They included Hong, who pumped in $50,000, and actor Nick Shen, who
invested a five-digit sum.
Shen, who is in his 30s, told TNP: "I had a good working
relationship with him in the past, so when he approached me to
invest, I thought it was fine.
"When I didn't hear from him after six months, I followed up with
him and he told me his business had met some challenges.
Eventually, he paid me back the full sum in
instalments."
Hong also said that A has repaid the $50,000 she lent
him.
Business failed
When Shin Min managed to track A down over the phone on Friday, he
said he was working part-time in Batam and that he needed to borrow
the money because his business had failed. He denied he had been
gambling.
After reports on him came out that day, he called Shin Min on
Saturday and said that he had lost his job in Batam and had
returned to Singapore. He said: "I am not on the run and I did not
say that I wouldn't pay back the money."
He said he would contact his creditors and answer to
them.
As of last Monday evening, Zheng and Hong said they had yet to hear
from him.
Stars who reportedly lent money to A
Chen Guo Hua
Thousands of dollars
Hong Kong actor Xia Yu
Over $10,000
Hong Kong actress Michelle Yim
$40,000
Zoe Tay
$10,000
Zhang Jing Hua
$30,000
Jing Yin Ji
Over $10,000
Hong Hui Fang and Zheng Geping
$5,000
who ah who ah?