The Singapore government is preparing to amend the horse accountancy law to increase penalties even for juvenile offenders, after courts ruled in some cases pending sentencing.

The Singapore government is preparing to amend the Horse Accounts Act to impose a minimum penalty, after an average of 90 cases per day and increasing youth offenders.19%

The Singapore government unveiled plans to amend the law and increase penalties in horse accounting cases after last month's Singapore Civil Court ruling that some of the offenders in the equine accounting case were sentenced to prison terms and community service. Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam, a senior minister in the Singapore government, said the government was preparing draft legislation for parliament to set minimum punishments for enforcement.

The original penalty was merely a suggestion.

The Singapore government has previously issued guidelines on punishments in equine accountancy cases, stating that fines, probation or community service should not be imposed because of the high value of damages to victims. However, such guidelines are only a recommendation and do not require judges to enforce them, and Singapore courts tend to give young people light sentences.

Young people trust more accounts.

In 2017, the number of juvenile offenders increased19% compared to previous years, partly due to young people making money by crediting bank accounts or SingPass accounts.

Pressure from the Call Center Gang.

The Singapore government says the country is heavily targeted by call center gangs, with an average of 90 cases a day and $2 million in damages per day.

Legislative bodies come into the Parliament and what to watch out for.

The government is therefore preparing to introduce a draft law in Parliament that will clearly define the minimum penalty, and expected to be implemented soon. Such amendments are aimed at making legal penalties more stringent rather than guideline-based arbitrariness, and reflect Singapore's efforts to handle horse accountancy cases under pressure from gang call centers.

Reported by CNA Lew on Wednesday, October 72026 at 1:11 a.m.