Suspects, part of a group of 17 detained over their part in an alleged oil theft at Shell’s Pulau Bukom refinery, arrive in a van at the State Courts, Singapore January 13, 2018. REUTERS/Calvin Wong
January 13, 2018
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A Singapore court on Saturday charged three men suspected of involvement in large-scale oil theft at Shell’s biggest refinery, days after bringing charges against 11 under an extensive probe by authorities in the city state.
Singapore authorities have been conducting extensive investigations after Shell first contacted them in August 2017 about theft at its Pulau Bukom industrial site that sits just south of the country’s main island.
Police have seized millions of dollars in cash and a small tanker in the sting operation involving simultaneous raids across Singapore.
A Singapore court charged 11 men including eight Shell employees and two Vietnamese nationals on Tuesday related to the theft following a weekend raid arresting 17 people.
The latest three to be charged also included a Vietnamese national. They are accused of receiving stolen property, with a combined value of S$896,444 ($676,510.45), at the Pulau Bukom site, where Shell has its largest refinery in the world, according to court documents.
The amount of oil products involved in the theft on two days in late 2017 were in addition to a combined 2,062 tonnes of gasoil valued at S$1.126 million specified in charges brought against the 11 on Tuesday.
(Reporting by John Geddie; Writing by Jack Kim; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
