An antique dealer who secretly sold a customer’s valuable Qing dynasty vase and replaced it with a counterfeit has been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The same dealer also ruined a prized calligraphy artwork belonging to the same client, then handed him a printed replica to conceal the damage.
Kuok Chio, 42, was sentenced to 29 months in prison on March 3 after pleading guilty to three offences: acquiring criminal proceeds, criminal breach of trust, and cheating.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li, Kuok was the proprietor of a business known as Chinese Art Centre, which specialised in trading Chinese antiques.
In October 2023, Kuok arranged a visit to the home of Dr Chan Chi Chin, a customer who had previously purchased antiques from him. Kuok claimed he had potential buyers interested in Dr Chan’s private collection. However, Dr Chan later told Kuok he no longer wished to sell after his wife raised concerns about the arrangement.
Kuok subsequently informed Dr Chan that he was heading to Hong Kong and requested permission to take two antiques for appraisal. Dr Chan allowed him to take a vase from the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, but only on the strict condition that it would not be sold without his approval. Kuok issued a post-dated cheque for $50,000 as a form of assurance.
The vase was valued at approximately HK$1.8 million (S$315,280). Instead of keeping his promise, Kuok, who was struggling with debts between $60,000 and $70,000 following business losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, sold the vase to another dealer for $150,000 and used the money to pay his creditors.
In November 2023, Kuok handed Dr Chan a replica of the original vase. The deception was later uncovered, and Dr Chan filed a police report that same month.
Further investigation revealed a separate incident involving a Chinese calligraphy painting that Dr Chan had acquired for $18,000. During a visit to Dr Chan’s home in June 2021, Kuok noticed some staining on the artwork and advised that it be professionally cleaned. Dr Chan paid $2,700 for this service.
In January 2022, Kuok returned the piece to Dr Chan rolled inside a PVC pipe, claiming it had been restored and that the pipe contained nitrogen gas to preserve it—an unusual and suspicious explanation. Dr Chan did not open the pipe.
More than two years later, in June 2024, Dr Chan brought the item to an art gallery for reframing. Staff opened the pipe and informed him the artwork inside was not an original but a printed reproduction.
It emerged that Kuok, lacking the necessary expertise, had attempted to clean the painting using methods he had found in an online tutorial. He accidentally ruined the artwork after improperly mixing cleaning chemicals. To hide the damage, he printed a photograph of the original painting and presented it as if nothing had gone wrong.
For criminal breach of trust, offenders can face up to seven years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. Cheating carries a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. Acquiring benefits from criminal conduct can lead to up to 10 years in jail, a fine of $500,000, or both.
