His case is a window into parent-child relationships among the ultrawealthy – in this case one which had a six-figure fallout.
According to court records, Liu accumulated debts at diao hua clubs, where punters tip female dancers by buying them sashes and garlands of flowers. According to the Singaporean lifestyle site Zula, garlands for the performers start at below S$50 (US$37) and sashes can run into the hundreds.
Liu was “desperate” to raise cash when he convinced Autoart Singapore that his mother had authorised the sale, District Judge Brenda Chua wrote in a summary of the case in March.
When the dealer asked to speak to his mum to confirm, he gave them the phone number of a friend in Taiwan, who posed as his mother and waved the sale through, the summary said.
On that basis, the dealer paid out some US$110,000, and Liu handed over the cars.
But on August 16 that year, Liu’s mother alerted the police, and he was charged with forgery.
In court, Liu’s defence lawyers said his mum had offered him the use of her cars “as and when required”.
There was not one, but two victims in this case – namely, the car dealer and the mother
They also pointed to the fact that as the case moved forward, Liu’s mum forgave her son, the case summary says.
In August 2023, Liu’s mum signed a declaration saying she repaid the deposit to the dealership, got her cars back, and tried to withdraw her police report.
She only reported the crime “in a fit of pique”, Liu’s defence argued. His lawyers said she would suffer most if he were imprisoned.
Liu had had a “momentary lapse of judgment”, they said, while he tried to gain “temporary financing” for his debts.
Singapore’s red light district, war bunkers: alternative tours of the city
Singapore’s red light district, war bunkers: alternative tours of the city
It didn’t wash with the judge, who sentenced Liu to 12 weeks.
“There was not one, but two victims in this case – namely, the car dealer and the mother,” Chua wrote in her summary, adding: “the mother paid the car dealer S$150,000 on the accused’s behalf. Further, as the accused’s mother, she was in the position of being taken advantage of by her son, by virtue of familial ties.”
“The accused abused his mother’s trust,” she concluded.