Interaction with the criminal process

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Victims of crypto fraud in Singapore almost always report to the police. The Commercial Affairs Department has powers under the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 to seize property suspected of being connected to an offence, including balances in exchange accounts.¹ A criminal seizure protects the assets but does not return them. Return requires either a disposal inquiry at the end of the criminal process or a civil judgment that the prosecuting authority is willing to honour. The two processes can conflict. A civil claimant with a proprietary injunction and a police seizure over the same account must co-ordinate with the Attorney-General's Chambers, which will generally not oppose release to a claimant who has established title. Part N, Chapter III treats the interplay in detail.

Notes

Criminal Procedure Code 2010, s 35 (powers of seizure). Part N, Chapter II describes the agencies and their practice. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of October 2026.

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Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

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I am Of Counsel with KGP Legal LLC in Singapore, where I work with a global client base of successful entrepreneurs and their families, independent asset managers, commodity trading houses and other commercial clients. I am a German and Swiss attorney-at-law, also admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales and in Hong Kong. I divide my time between Zug in Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong. Since 2017 I have advised international clients on more than 700 crypto and digital asset projects. I also have extensive experience in cross-border litigation and arbitration in Singapore, Hong Kong and other markets in South-East Asia and Greater China.

I operate across the key financial centres in South-East Asia, the Middle East and Switzerland, with a particular focus on asset protection, international tax and estate planning, as well as trusts, company administration and other fiduciary services. My philosophy is to serve as a trusted advisor working closely with my clients and to help them achieve their commercial objectives.

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SingaporeIQ is edited by Dr Alexander Ressos, an international business lawyer with more than 15 years of local experience in Singapore as a permanent resident, a Singapore registered foreign lawyer and managing partner of a Singapore foreign law practice. In addition to significant experience in cross-border investments and transactions, UHNWI private client work and sanctions/export controls, Dr Ressos has extensive experience in cross-border business and in crypto and digital-asset projects in Singapore, drawn from more than 700 projects since 2017.

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