Antique dealer in debt due to Covid-19 sold vase that wasn't his for $150k, then returned replica to owner
Samuel Devaraj
The Straits Times
Jan 28, 2025
The owner of a commercial antique sales company, who was mired in debt, has admitted to selling a collector's antique vase and pocketing the proceeds.
Kuok Chio, 42, who had also given the collector a fake painting after accidentally destroying the original one, pleaded guilty in court on Jan 28 to three charges.
One of the charges was for acquiring the benefits of his criminal conduct, while the other two are for criminal breach of trust and cheating. Two other charges will be taken into consideration during his sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li said Kuok operated Chinese Art Centre, which was in the business of commercial antique sales.
A few days before Oct 25, 2023, Kuok visited the location where the collector, Dr Chan Chi Chin, kept his collection. Dr Chan knew Kuok as he had bought antiques from him.
Kuok wanted to take pictures of the collection, claiming there was a group of buyers who were interested in purchasing some of the antiques. However, after Dr Chan's wife told him she was uncomfortable with letting Kuok handle the sale, Dr Chan told Kuok he was no longer looking to sell his collection.
A few days later, Kuok told Dr Chan that he was travelling to Hong Kong, and asked if the doctor would agree to him taking two of the antiques to Hong Kong for valuation purposes.
Dr Chan agreed that Kuok could take a vase dating to the reign of Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century. Its value, according to court documents, was at least HK$1.8 million (S$315,280), but Dr Chan said Kuok should not sell it without his consent.
In return, Kuok gave Dr Chan a post-dated cheque for a sum of $50,000 as collateral.
DPP Li said Kuok, who was at that time in financial difficulty as his business had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and was in debt of about $60,000 to $70,000, took the vase to an antique dealer where the item was valued at $150,000, and sold it at that price.
On Nov 11, 2023, Kuok gave Dr Chan a replica of the vase he had sold, along with a forged label.
Court documents do not state how or when Dr Chan became aware of the forgery, but he lodged a police report against Kuok on Nov 14, 2023.
In June 2021, while he was at Dr Chan's house, Kuok came across a Chinese calligraphy painting which Dr Chan had bought for $18,000. Kuok advised Dr Chan to have the painting professionally cleaned after pointing out some stains on it. Dr Chan agreed and paid Kuok $2,700.
In January 2022, Kuok told Dr Chan that he had restored the painting and brought a PVC pipe to him, claiming he should not open it as it contained nitrogen gas that would help preserve the painting, which he claimed was inside the pipe.
In June 2024, Dr Chan took the painting, which was still kept in the PVC pipe, to an art dealer's office as he wanted to reframe the painting. Staff at the art dealer opened the pipe and inspected the painting, and told Dr Chan that it was a fake.
It turned out that Kuok, who did not know how to clean the painting, had followed an online video tutorial and accidentally damaged the painting by incorrectly preparing the chemical mixture for the cleaning. He had printed a copy of the painting at a printing shop, using a photo that he took before starting the cleaning process.
Kuok's case was adjourned to March 3 for mitigation and sentencing, with Kuok's lawyer, Mr Divanan Narkunan, saying Kuok had tried and failed to raise money for restitution.
