Man testifies he felt cheated, intimidated by Raymond Ng in vending machine case; Ng says he's lying
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A man testified he felt cheated and intimidated by Raymond Ng in a vending machine investment scheme.
- Ng, accused of cheating six people out of over S$25,000, claims the witness is lying.
- Ng was cautioned by a judge for posting comments about ongoing court proceedings on his website.
A man who invested in a "co-own" coffee vending machine scheme testified in court that he felt cheated and intimidated by Raymond Ng, the scheme's promoter. The witness stated he never received any returns on his investment, totaling more than S$25,000 across six alleged victims.
Instead, he said he felt cheated and intimidated by Ng, whom he claims reacted by threatening to sue for defamation.
Ng, 53, husband of anti-vaccine group founder Iris Koh, faces six charges of cheating. The prosecution presented evidence of a post Ng made on his VendShare website, titled "What The News Didn't Tell You," which commented on the court proceedings and a witness. Deputy Public Prosecutor Hui Choon Kuen argued that such posts could prejudice the trial.
Perhaps the accused should be reminded or told that he should not be posting any comments in relation to proceedings that are likely to prejudice the conduct of proceedings.
District Judge Lim Tse Haw cautioned Ng about commenting on ongoing proceedings, particularly regarding witness testimony. Ng initially defended his post, comparing it to media reporting, but eventually agreed not to repeat such actions. The judge emphasized the difference between factual reporting and adding commentary.
Yes I did post it on VendShare but I would like to explain ... the thing is that in this post I did not pre-judge the matter.
The prosecution then called its second witness, Bryan Chua, who learned about VendShare through Facebook and Instagram advertisements. Chua attended a presentation by Ng in 2019, understanding the scheme involved co-sharing vending machines placed in various locations. He expressed interest in a "combo" location covering Arab Street and Joo Chiat, believing the number of participants per machine was limited.
I do not think that CNA reporting ... is full or complete.
Originally published by CNA. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.