11-6-2024 (SINGAPORE) In a shocking twist, it has emerged that just six months before her brutal murder in Spain, Singaporean Audrey Fang, 39, had deposited nearly $200,000 into her Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts for investment-linked products and nominated her suspected killer as the sole beneficiary.
Mitchell Ong, the man currently in custody in south-eastern Spain in connection with Fang’s death, was not only her insurance agent who sold her two investment-linked policies in 2015, but also the individual she chose to receive her life savings.
Fang’s mutilated body, bearing over 30 stab wounds, was discovered in April near a parking area for lorries in the town of Abanilla, approximately 150km from the hotel where she was staying.
The Grisly Discovery and Arrest Spanish police swiftly apprehended Ong on April 16, after Fang’s iPad, found in her hotel room, contained a note indicating her decision to name a “long-time friend and trusted confidant” as the recipient of her CPF savings in the event of her demise. The note also granted this beneficiary a “friendly loan of US$50,000 (S$68,000) based on our friendship in the past.”
Benjamin Fang, Audrey’s 34-year-old brother, expressed his family’s shock and sadness upon learning of Ong’s nomination. “We do not know why he was nominated, as we hadn’t heard of him before,” he told The Straits Times.
A Puzzling Relationship Despite Audrey Fang’s close bonds with her family, with whom she lived, her brother revealed that she had never mentioned Ong’s name. The family now intends to contest the nomination once more details emerge.
Fang’s brother also disclosed that he only became aware of Ong’s role as her insurance agent when he discovered letters from AIA Singapore among her belongings, detailing the two investment-linked policies she had taken out in 2015 from an agent named Ong Cheong Yi – Ong’s Chinese name.
The CPF Board’s Stance While the CPF Board has assured that Ong will not be entitled to Fang’s savings should he be convicted of her murder, they have declined to comment directly on the case due to confidentiality reasons. However, a spokesperson stated that if the Board is informed of any facts or circumstances that may affect the validity of a CPF nomination, an investigation will be conducted, and the distribution of the deceased member’s savings will be withheld until investigations are completed.
Legal Proceedings and Family’s Quest for Answers Manuel Martinez, the Spanish lawyer representing Fang’s family, believes he has a strong case against Ong, citing the existence of “malice aforethought” in his actions. Martinez aims to seek a jail term of 20 to 25 years, or potentially reviewable life imprisonment, if Ong is convicted of murder.
Meanwhile, Fang’s family has engaged a lawyer in Singapore to obtain a grant of letters of administration, which will grant them authority over her estate, including accessing her financial records to unravel the truth behind her dealings with Ong.
