Antique Dealer Jailed for Selling Client's Valuable Qing Dynasty Vase and Providing Fake Artwork

An antique dealer based in Singapore, 42-year-old Kuok Chio, has received a sentence of two years and five months imprisonment as a consequence of his attempt to resolve personal financial difficulties illegally. Kuok, who operates the Chinese Art Centre, admitted to multiple criminal acts, including criminal breach of trust, cheating, and acquisition of benefits from criminal conduct. Two additional charges were considered during sentencing.

The incidents began in October 2023 when Kuok approached his client, Dr Chan Chi Chin, requesting to take two of Dr Chan's valuable antiques to Hong Kong for professional valuation. Dr Chan consented only for one item, a Qing Dynasty-era "blue and white garlic-head vase" dating back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1735-1796). Valued at around HK$1,800,000 (approximately S$315,000), Dr Chan clearly instructed Kuok not to sell the vase without prior permission, a condition Kuok acknowledged and reinforced by issuing a post-dated cheque as a form of collateral.

However, driven by pressing debts exceeding S$60,000 and financial losses due to the pandemic, Kuok disregarded the agreement. He immediately sold the vase for S$150,000 in cash—the proceeds of which went partly to repayment of personal debts. To hide his actions, Kuok went further by returning a counterfeit vase to Dr Chan, complete with an imitation auction house tag, to pretend authenticity.

Previously, Kuok had deceived Dr Chan over another prized item—a calligraphy piece by the renowned Singaporean artist Lim Tze Peng, a recipient of Singapore's Cultural Medallion. Kuok, noticing stains on Dr Chan's calligraphy artwork in June 2021, had advised him to get it professionally cleaned and took responsibility for the supposed cleaning process. Receiving S$2,700 for the service, Kuok instead caused severe damage to the painting by incorrectly preparing chemical substances, ultimately smudging it permanently. Lacking genuine restoration expertise, he had mistakenly relied on a video tutorial.

Rather than revealing the damage, Kuok chose deception once again, creating a photographic replica of the original artwork. He packaged this fake piece into a PVC pipe and misinformed Dr Chan that the pipe contained nitrogen gas to prevent damage, suggesting it should remain unopened to maintain preservation conditions. The deception persisted unnoticed for nearly two years, until Dr Chan attempted to reframe and display the artwork in 2024. Upon seeking professional assistance for reframing, the replica was discovered to be a counterfeit.

Following prosecution, Kuok faced significant consequences, as his individual charges held severe penalties. Acquiring criminal proceeds alone bears risks of imprisonment up to 10 years and fines as much as S$500,000. Similarly, criminal breach of trust could lead to up to seven years imprisonment with possible financial penalties, and cheating could result in incarceration of up to three years alongside fines.