Singapore has charged three men—two Singaporeans and one Chinese national—with fraud over suspected breaches of US export controls on Nvidia semiconductor sales, the government announced Monday.
The case involves servers containing Nvidia chips that were exported to Malaysia, raising concerns about whether Malaysia was the final destination or if the products were rerouted elsewhere. Authorities arrested nine individuals last week in raids across 22 locations, seizing documents and electronic records.
Among those charged are Alan Wei Zhaolun and Aaron Woon Guo Jie, CEO and COO of Aperia Cloud Services, as well as Li Miang, a Chinese national accused of falsifying end-user information. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison.
Singapore’s role in the global semiconductor supply chain is under increasing scrutiny, especially as US politicians question whether restricted chips are making their way into China. The country has vowed to crack down on violations, with Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam stating, “We will not tolerate individuals and companies circumventing export controls.”
Meanwhile, the EU has imposed sanctions on Singapore-based Splendent Technologies for allegedly supplying chips to Russia’s defense sector. The company, which joins another Singaporean firm blacklisted in 2023, announced on its website that it has suspended trade with Russia.
