THE Chinese national arrested in Singapore for allegedly running a network of zombie computers which allowed criminals to commit a myriad of offences has objected to his extradition to the US.
At the State Courts on May 31, senior district judge Ong Hian Sun asked Wang Yunhe if he intends to surrender himself to the foreign authorities.
The Singapore Police Force earlier indicated that Washington had made an extradition request for Wang after his arrest. The US has an extradition treaty with Singapore.
His lawyer, Ng Yuan Siang, who said he was briefed by Wang’s spouse, said his client is objecting to the extradition.
The judge asked Ng if Wang is aware that he can give consent to his extradition and waive proceedings. The lawyer said he will speak to his client about this.
Changes were made to the Extradition Act in April 2022 to allow fugitives to consent to their extradition.
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This is in line with international practice, to save state resources and prevent the fugitive from being detained longer than necessary in Singapore.
During proceedings which lasted about 15 minutes, Wang tried to present his case to the judge, but was stopped by his lawyer.
The bespectacled 35-year-old, who appeared via video link, spoke Mandarin and had a court interpreter translate for him.
At the end of proceedings, the judge granted the prosecution’s request for Wang to be remanded a further seven days.
His next appearance is on Jun 6.
In an earlier statement, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wang’s purported offences had allowed cyber criminals to steal billions of dollars through financial fraud, identity theft and other crimes.
He was arrested on May 24 in a multi-jurisdiction operation led by the DOJ.
Wang had allegedly worked with others between 2014 and July 2022 to create and disseminate the 911 S5 Botnet to millions of home-based Windows computers across the world.
A botnet refers to a network of computers infected by malware that is under the control of a single attacking party.
US officials said Wang allegedly sold access to the infected computers – in what is considered the “world’s largest botnet ever” – to cyber criminals who used the devices to commit crimes, from fraud to cyber-stalking.
An archived version of one of the websites selling the IP addresses showed that it cost S$38 to purchase 150 addresses. Users could pay through several options, including Bitcoin, Alipay and WeChat Pay.
The DOJ said Wang, who holds St Kitts and Nevis citizenship, allegedly received USS$99 million from cyber criminals who tapped his network from 2018 to July 2022.
He used the money to purchase 21 properties across the US, St Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Thailand, China and the United Arab Emirates.
He also has business ties in Singapore, with records showing that he was appointed as a director in two active companies on Jan 15, 2022 – Gold Click, a holding company, and Universe Capital Management, a management consultancy firm.
US court documents described the companies Wang registered as “shell companies he used to conceal the identity and illegitimate nature of his 911 S5 service and its related proceeds”.
Dozens of his assets and properties may be seized, the DOJ said.
They include a Singapore-registered 2022 Ferrari F8 Spider, bank accounts with CIMB Bank, Citibank Singapore and banks in Thailand, a condominium unit in Angullia Park, and Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet watches.
For his alleged crimes, Wang faces a maximum of 65 years in a US prison if convicted on all counts. THE STRAITS TIMES
