Four S'poreans Deny Illegally Exporting US-Made Radio Equipment To Iran

SINGAPORE, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- Four Singaporeans charged with illegally exporting US-made radio equipment to Iran denied the charges in court on Monday. The four, Wong Yuh Lan, Lim Yong Nam, Lim Kow Seng and Hia Soo Gan Benson, are challenging a US request to extradite them to face charges in the United States. Local television Channel NewsAsia reported that the non-committal hearing at the Subordinate Court would weigh US evidence against the four of making the illegal export to Iran, and to also determine if there were sufficient grounds for them to be extradited. All four, who are in the electronics distribution business, were arrested in Singapore in October on US charges of illegally exporting the US-made radio equipment, including 6,000 radio modules and 55 antenna parts, and conspiring to evade a US trade embargo against Tehran. Three Singapore-based companies and an Iranian company were also similarly charged. The local media also reported that court documents had cited an Iranian national, Hossein Larijani, as being the mastermind behind the plan to make the illegal export of 6,000 radio frequency modules from a Minnesota-based company to Iran. He is still at large. The radio modules have a range of 65 kilometres when configured with a specialised antenna. At least 16 were discovered by US forces in Iraq in bombs that were remotely detonated, which the US said, had possibly caused about 60 per cent of American combat casualties in Iraq between 2001 and 2007. A pre-trial conference will be held next Monday. -- BERNAMA