Magistrate throws out SOCU’s money laundering charges against Chinese national

A Georgetown Magistrate has dismissed a series of money laundering charges against Chinese national Ying XingSu, ruling that there was no evidence to support the allegations brought by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

Magistrate Annette Singh this week upheld no-case submissions made on behalf of XingSu and found that the prosecution had failed to establish any of the essential elements required to sustain the offences.

In delivering her ruling, Magistrate Singh concluded that XingSu had no case to answer and discharged her of the charges. The court further expressed concern over the basis of the prosecution, with the Magistrate indicating that she did not understand why SOCU had instituted the charges in the first place.
The case stemmed from a probe by SOCU, which had earlier claimed that its case was built on an eight-month investigation into alleged financial crimes involving vehicles, large cash transactions, and property acquisitions.

XingSu, a travel agent, had initially been taken before the court facing multiple counts of money laundering. The allegations included the acquisition and possession of several motor vehicles, among them a Land Rover Freelander, an Audi Q5, and a Hino Dutro truck, said to have been derived from proceeds of crime.

She was also accused of using substantial sums of money, including $8.25 million, $2.2 million, and $50 million, as partial payments toward properties located at Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara; the Young Professional Scheme at La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara; and Plantation Grove, East Bank Demerara, all allegedly sourced from illicit proceeds.

At the time the charges were laid, XingSu had appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court. She had been granted bail totalling $1.7 million, with conditions including monthly reporting to SOCU.

SOCU had also disclosed that XingSu had previously faced a separate charge relating to the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, following a July 2024 search of her room at the Ramada Princess International Hotel, Providence, where law enforcement officers reportedly discovered cash equivalent to $52 million along with the illegal items.