MURCIA: Charges against a man suspected of killing a Singaporean woman in Spain may be months away, with a police report yet to be completed, sources close to the investigation said.
Mitchell Ong, 43, remains in pre-trial detention in Sangonera prison in Murcia, after he was arrested on Apr 16 on suspicion of killing Singaporean Audrey Fang.
Ms Fang’s body was found on Apr 10 with 30 stab wounds.
Under Spanish law, a person can be on pre-trial detention for up to two years. This can be extended by another two years for serious offences.
Ong, who is also Singaporean, has not been charged by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, despite appearing in court three days after he was arrested.
During the court hearing, Manuel Martinez, the lawyer representing Ms Fang’s family had pressed for a murder charge, but the defence said it was too early for such a classification, given that the police report was not yet ready.
He was remanded in custody because he was deemed to be a flight risk, given that he is a tourist and has no friends or family in Alicante – where he was arrested – no in Abanilla, where Ms Fang’s body was found.
Sources close to the investigation said the public prosecutor’s office is still reviewing police evidence and investigations. The police report is expected to take months to complete.
Investigators said the motive remains unclear and many questions remain unanswered because Ong has not given a statement to the authorities, holding up proceedings.
There are noplans at the moment for him to give such a statement, his lawyer said. A suspect has the right not to do so, under Spanish law.
Ms Fang was staying at the Ritual de Tierra hotel in Javea during a solo trip to Spain. On Apr 9, she left her belongings in her room and was picked up at her hotel by a car.
Her body was found the following day in the town of Abanilla, about 150km from her hotel. After reviewing CCTV footage, Ong was arrested on Apr 16.
Investigators are following the money trail and suspect a possible economic motive for the killing.
They found a Central Provident Fund nomination note on Ms Fang’s iPad that put forward an unknown person for her CPF money because the person was her “long-time friend and trusted confidant”.
CPF is a mandatory social security savings scheme that is funded by contributions from employers and employees. In the event of the person's death, these savings are given to the person's nominee or nominees.
Her family also found two investment-linked insurance policies that she had bought from Ong in 2015. They are checking with Singapore authorities if he might have been added as a beneficiary.
In response to CNA’s queries, the CPF Board said on Thursday (May 9) that it would conduct an investigation if it is informed of any facts or circumstances that may affect the validity of a nomination.
It will look a the evidence and supporting documents to ascertain this validity.
“For CPF nominations that are contested posthumously, CPF Board will withhold the distribution of the deceased member’s CPF savings till investigations are completed,” it said.
“If the nomination is found to be invalid, CPF savings will generally be distributed based on an earlier nomination if any, or according to intestacy laws.”
The Singapore Police Force said it is working with its Spanish counterparts.
“As the incident had happened in Spain, the Singapore Police Force has and will continue to render the necessary assistance to the Spanish authorities within the ambit of our laws.”
Spanish police found expensive clothes and large amounts of cash while searching Ong’s hotel room in Alicante.
They also found that Ms Fang’s and Ong’s mobile phones were together in Abanilla on the day she died.
Closed-circuit cameras caught a dark car picking Ms Fang up at her hotel in Javea, before Ong is seen paying for parking at a ticket machine.
The same car has also been spotted near the field where Ms Fang’s body was found.
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Mitchell Ong, 43, remains in pre-trial detention in Sangonera prison in Murcia, after he was arrested on Apr 16 on suspicion of killing Singaporean Audrey Fang.
Ms Fang’s body was found on Apr 10 with 30 stab wounds.
Under Spanish law, a person can be on pre-trial detention for up to two years. This can be extended by another two years for serious offences.
Ong, who is also Singaporean, has not been charged by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, despite appearing in court three days after he was arrested.
During the court hearing, Manuel Martinez, the lawyer representing Ms Fang’s family had pressed for a murder charge, but the defence said it was too early for such a classification, given that the police report was not yet ready.
He was remanded in custody because he was deemed to be a flight risk, given that he is a tourist and has no friends or family in Alicante – where he was arrested – no in Abanilla, where Ms Fang’s body was found.
Sources close to the investigation said the public prosecutor’s office is still reviewing police evidence and investigations. The police report is expected to take months to complete.
Investigators said the motive remains unclear and many questions remain unanswered because Ong has not given a statement to the authorities, holding up proceedings.
There are noplans at the moment for him to give such a statement, his lawyer said. A suspect has the right not to do so, under Spanish law.
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SINGAPORE AUTHORITIES HELPING SPANISH COUNTERPARTS
Ms Fang was staying at the Ritual de Tierra hotel in Javea during a solo trip to Spain. On Apr 9, she left her belongings in her room and was picked up at her hotel by a car.
Her body was found the following day in the town of Abanilla, about 150km from her hotel. After reviewing CCTV footage, Ong was arrested on Apr 16.
Investigators are following the money trail and suspect a possible economic motive for the killing.
They found a Central Provident Fund nomination note on Ms Fang’s iPad that put forward an unknown person for her CPF money because the person was her “long-time friend and trusted confidant”.
CPF is a mandatory social security savings scheme that is funded by contributions from employers and employees. In the event of the person's death, these savings are given to the person's nominee or nominees.
Her family also found two investment-linked insurance policies that she had bought from Ong in 2015. They are checking with Singapore authorities if he might have been added as a beneficiary.
In response to CNA’s queries, the CPF Board said on Thursday (May 9) that it would conduct an investigation if it is informed of any facts or circumstances that may affect the validity of a nomination.
It will look a the evidence and supporting documents to ascertain this validity.
“For CPF nominations that are contested posthumously, CPF Board will withhold the distribution of the deceased member’s CPF savings till investigations are completed,” it said.
“If the nomination is found to be invalid, CPF savings will generally be distributed based on an earlier nomination if any, or according to intestacy laws.”
The Singapore Police Force said it is working with its Spanish counterparts.
“As the incident had happened in Spain, the Singapore Police Force has and will continue to render the necessary assistance to the Spanish authorities within the ambit of our laws.”
EVIDENCE SO FAR
Spanish police found expensive clothes and large amounts of cash while searching Ong’s hotel room in Alicante.
They also found that Ms Fang’s and Ong’s mobile phones were together in Abanilla on the day she died.
Closed-circuit cameras caught a dark car picking Ms Fang up at her hotel in Javea, before Ong is seen paying for parking at a ticket machine.
The same car has also been spotted near the field where Ms Fang’s body was found.
Continue reading...