An antique dealer was sentenced to two years and five months in prison on March 3 for selling a Qing Dynasty vase belonging to a client to settle his debts and later deceiving the same client with a fake calligraphy painting.
Kuok Chio, 42, who owns the antique business Chinese Art Centre, pleaded guilty to charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating, and acquiring benefits from criminal conduct. Two additional charges were taken into account during sentencing.
In October 2023, Kuok approached his client, Dr Chan Chi Chin, requesting permission to take two pieces from his collection to Hong Kong for valuation. Dr Chan agreed to let him bring a single item—a Qing Dynasty "blue and white garlic-head vase" from the Qianlong Emperor’s reign (1735–1796). The vase was valued at approximately HK$1.8 million (S$315,000).
Dr Chan explicitly told Kuok not to sell the vase without his consent, and Kuok provided a post-dated cheque of S$50,000 as collateral. However, at the time, Kuok was struggling with financial difficulties, owing over S$60,000 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his business.
On the very evening he received the vase, Kuok contacted an antique dealer and sold it for S$150,000 in cash. He used a portion of this money to clear his debts. To cover up his actions, he later gave Dr Chan a fake vase, complete with a forged auction house label, in an attempt to deceive him.
Kuok’s dishonest dealings with Dr Chan were not limited to the vase. Years earlier, in June 2021, Kuok had tricked Dr Chan into handing over a valuable calligraphy work by Singaporean artist Lim Tze Peng, a Cultural Medallion recipient. The artwork, titled "Shui Diao Ge Tow, Chinese Ink on Paper," was a Song Dynasty poem that Dr Chan had purchased for S$18,000.
During a visit to Dr Chan’s home, Kuok pointed out stains on the painting and suggested professional cleaning. Dr Chan agreed, paying Kuok S$2,700 for the cleaning service, which included transportation. However, Kuok had no expertise in art restoration and attempted to clean the painting using a chemical mixture he had prepared after watching an online tutorial. This caused the ink to smudge, permanently damaging the artwork.
To conceal his mistake, Kuok printed a copy of the painting from a photograph he had taken earlier and placed it inside a white PVC pipe. When he returned it to Dr Chan in January 2022, he claimed that the artwork was inside the pipe and warned him not to open it, stating that the pipe contained nitrogen gas to help preserve the piece.
Dr Chan trusted Kuok and did not open the pipe. The fraud remained undiscovered until June 2024, when Dr Chan was moving house and decided to reframe and display the painting. He brought the PVC pipe to an art dealer, where staff informed him that the painting inside was a counterfeit.
Kuok’s deception regarding the vase had already come under suspicion. In an earlier confrontation at Kuok’s office, Dr Chan noticed a calligraphy piece with stains resembling his original artwork. When questioned, Kuok insisted it was a different piece. At the time, Dr Chan focused on recovering the vase and did not pursue the matter further.
Kuok was convicted on multiple charges, with penalties for his offenses being severe. The law states that acquiring benefits from criminal conduct carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to S$500,000. Criminal breach of trust can result in up to seven years in jail, a fine, or both, while cheating is punishable by up to three years in jail, a fine, or both.
This case highlights the risks of entrusting valuable antiques to dealers and serves as a reminder for collectors to exercise caution when dealing with high-value art and artifacts.
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