Unlicensed Moneylending-related Harassment Cases

10 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many unlicensed moneylending (UML)-related harassment cases have been reported in the past year; (b) how many cases have been investigated; and (c) how many people have been charged and sentenced for UML harassment.

Mr K Shanmugam: UML-related harassment cases registered a 10-year low in 2016, falling by 20%, from 4,242 cases in 2015 to 3,375 cases in 2016.

Police investigate all UML harassment reports.

In 2016, 260 persons were charged and sentenced by the Courts for UML harassment.

However, it will be difficult to compare the number of UML cases and the number of persons convicted and seek to draw conclusions. Many UML offenders are responsible for multiple harassment cases. In addition, not all harassment cases will result in persons being charged or convicted in Court. The Police, in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, consider a range of factors before deciding whether to prosecute an offender.