Senegal honorary consul missing after consulate gambling den found

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Saturday November 4, 2006

Singapore- Police were searching for Senegal's honorary consul after finding the consulate in Singapore was doubling as a gambling den packing up to 100 enthusiasts a night, officials said on Sunday. Benny Kusni, an Indonesian businessman appointed consul for the African nation last December, has not returned home since a police raid on the consulate Friday night. It was not known if he is still in the city-state.

The 31 people nabbed by police in the raid included 23 who are suspected of being part of the den's operations on the top floor of the five-storey building.

A mixture of Malaysians and Indonesians were charged in court on Saturday with operating an illegal gambling den and could face fines of up to 50,000 Singapore dollars (31,800 US dollars) and jail time of up to three years.

The other eight arrested were Singaporeans believed to be gamblers.

The incident should not affect ties between Singapore and Senegal established in 1999, Foreign Minister George Yeo said.

Kusni owns a company in Jakarta called Triskel, which exports timber products to Asian countries.

Honorary consuls do not enjoy diplomatic immunity and privilege under international conventions and are not paid for their duties, which primarily involve handling applications for visas.

Police were tipped-off last week after an investigation by The Straits Times unveiled the den's operations, complete with semi- circular baccarat tables, quarters with mattresses and pillows on the floor and a well-stocked pantry.

In all, police recovered about 80,000 Singapore dollars (51,000 US dollars) in two metal safes plus gambling paraphernalia including chips and cartons of playing cards.

While the consulate was open for official business during the day to deal with visas and other issues, it was filled from evening to dawn with gamblers placing bets ranging from a minimum of 100 Singapore dollars (64 US dollars) to a maximum of 30,000 Singapore dollars (19,000 US dollars). Credit of up to 50,000 Singapore dollars (32,000 US dollars) was available.

A VIP room catered to high rollers, those with 100,000 Singapore dollars (63,000 US dollars) worth of chips.

Diners at a nearby coffee shop told The Straits Times they had been approached by young men and women to gamble at the den.

"There's been some unfamiliar people going up the building in the past few weeks," an unidentified employee at a lighting shop was quoted as saying.

"Many of them look fierce," he said, "but there were also some young and pretty ladies."

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency