A Singaporean and a Chinese man were sentenced to prison in today's trial for smuggling nearly $ 4.4 million in luxury goods to North Korea.

T Specialist director Ng Kheng Wah, 56, pleaded guilty to 10 charges under the United Nations Act, 10 charges of fraud and a 34-month sentence. Chinese accomplice Wang Zhiguo, 57, pleaded guilty to ten counts of fraud and was sentenced to one year in prison. The company was fined 645,000 USD, paid in installments with the deadline of October 2020.

The company Specialist T transferred to the Korean department store chain the categories of wine, brandy, perfume, cosmetics, musical instruments, watches and jewelry. Nearly $ 4.4 million worth of goods was shipped to Dalian port, China, then departed for North Korea, according to a Singapore court document.

North Korea is banned from importing luxury goods under a UN Security Council resolution after ballistic and nuclear weapons tests. Singapore passed the law to enforce UN resolutions and suspend trade relations with North Korea in 2017.

"The sanctions will only be effective if every UN member state, including Singapore, makes the best efforts to ensure full compliance. Such illegal international trade acts have a negative impact on extreme to national prestige violating and questioning the commitment to UN sanctions, "Judge Bala Reddy said when sentencing Ng Kheng Wah.

Many Singaporeans have been accused of providing illegal goods to North Korea in recent years. One company was accused of supplying a $ 480,000 batch of wines and spirits to North Korea in August. Two other men were sentenced to prison in 2018 for supplying luxury goods, including jewelry and watches, for North Korea.