The Canadian wanted in Singapore robbing a Standard Chartered Bank (Stanchart), has been sentenced to jail in Thailand for 14 months on currency and money laundering charges. The 28-year-old is a suspect in the robbery of $30,000 from the bank.

The Singapore Police promised the public to pursue the StanChart bank robber from whichever country he is in when he fled to Thailand soon after the crime was committed on 7 July. He was detained a few days later in Thailand, after his right to stay in the country was cancelled.

In the recent case, he was charged with violating Thailand’s currency regulations by bringing cash into the country without the proper customs declaration, and for money laundering.

Roach confessed. He was given one year in prison for money laundering, four months for violating the foreign exchange act and one year for not declaring he was carrying more than US$20,000 equivalent in cash into the country.

He was sentenced to 26 months in prison, but his sentence was reduced to 14 months because he confessed. The Thai authorities also seized the money. It is likely that the cash he had in hand was the money he allegedly robbed from Stanchart.

Roach’s lawyer said he confessed only to smuggling foreign currency into Thailand, and not to the robbery in Singapore. The lawyer said he was consulting his client if the sentence should be appealed.

It was previously reported that the Attorney-General’s Office in Bangkok rejected the Singapore authorities extradition request for the Canadian national. He will likely be repatriated to Canada after he has served his sentence in Thailand.