By Kim Jae-kyoung
SINGAPORE ― A Singapore-registered shipping company has been fined a total of $130,000 for wiring money used to facilitate a shipment of arms from Cuba to North Korea in 2013.
At the State Courts, Friday, District Judge Jasvender Kaur ruled that Chinpo Shipping must pay $56,300 for supporting a shipment of arms-related materials bound for North Korea, which could have been used to contribute to the isolated state's nuclear program.
The prosecution there sought a maximum fine of $70,400.
This is the first-ever case in which a Singaporean firm has been fined for supporting North Korea's arms shipments. Singapore is one of the biggest trading partners for North Korea in Southeast Asia.
The court found that Chinpo, without conducting due diligence, transferred $72,016 to Panama shipping agent C.B. Fenton in July 2013 on behalf of the North Korean entity Ocean Maritime Management (OMM) for the vessel Chong Chon Gang carrying weapons from Cuba to North Korea.
In delivering the sentence, the judge said that the fine had to play a role in restraining any violation of UN sanctions. "It conducted no due diligence. Such irresponsible actions must be deterred," she said.
The weapons included two MiG-21 jet fighters, anti-tank rockets and surface-to-air missile systems, all of which were hidden in the cargo hold under 10,500 tons of sugar.
This was in breach of UN sanctions that restrict trading arms with North Korea because of its nuclear programs.
The judge also ordered the Singapore-based firm to pay the maximum fine of $70,400 for conducting a remittance business without a license
Without a valid license, Chinpo performed a total of 605 remittances totaling more than $40 million between Apr. 2, 2009 and July 3, 2013 on behalf of North Korean entities, which were barred from getting access to the banking system due to UN sanctions.
Chinpo must pay the fine by Feb. 12.
SINGAPORE ― A Singapore-registered shipping company has been fined a total of $130,000 for wiring money used to facilitate a shipment of arms from Cuba to North Korea in 2013.
At the State Courts, Friday, District Judge Jasvender Kaur ruled that Chinpo Shipping must pay $56,300 for supporting a shipment of arms-related materials bound for North Korea, which could have been used to contribute to the isolated state's nuclear program.
The prosecution there sought a maximum fine of $70,400.
This is the first-ever case in which a Singaporean firm has been fined for supporting North Korea's arms shipments. Singapore is one of the biggest trading partners for North Korea in Southeast Asia.
The court found that Chinpo, without conducting due diligence, transferred $72,016 to Panama shipping agent C.B. Fenton in July 2013 on behalf of the North Korean entity Ocean Maritime Management (OMM) for the vessel Chong Chon Gang carrying weapons from Cuba to North Korea.
In delivering the sentence, the judge said that the fine had to play a role in restraining any violation of UN sanctions. "It conducted no due diligence. Such irresponsible actions must be deterred," she said.
The weapons included two MiG-21 jet fighters, anti-tank rockets and surface-to-air missile systems, all of which were hidden in the cargo hold under 10,500 tons of sugar.
This was in breach of UN sanctions that restrict trading arms with North Korea because of its nuclear programs.
The judge also ordered the Singapore-based firm to pay the maximum fine of $70,400 for conducting a remittance business without a license
Without a valid license, Chinpo performed a total of 605 remittances totaling more than $40 million between Apr. 2, 2009 and July 3, 2013 on behalf of North Korean entities, which were barred from getting access to the banking system due to UN sanctions.
Chinpo must pay the fine by Feb. 12.
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