Thanks to my contacts in Singapore’s law enforcement community (CPIB and the Police), I can bring you the following exclusive transcript of last weekend’s interrogation of Dan Tan:

Scene:              A cell inside Singapore police headquarters.   Long table.  Two policemen in crisp, white shirts on one side of the table.  Across from them sits the charming (and Dan Tan is many things if not charming) and intelligent Dan Tan.  The atmosphere is tense.

Policeman 1:             Okay, la. I want to bet on games in Serie A.  Do you know any good fixes that I can make some money on?

Dan Tan:            Hmm, let me see, la.   Okay. Last game of the season in Serie A, usually a lot of fixes, la.  So make sure you bet on the rich teams not to go to down to Serie B – you know their second division.   Same thing in that division, lot of rich teams pay for the results to go up to Serie A.

Policeman 2: (Slams table with fist)  Are you kidding me?  It is Italy!  Look, la, in Italy, everyone knows those games are fixed.  Newspapers announce the scores before the games are played!  Stop fucking around and give us good gambling tips or you will be in trouble, la.

Dan Tan:              Okay.  Why you look so much at Italy?  Go Germany. Take Bayern Munich above the spread.  No fixing, but good gambling.  The bookies will make you try to forget, but go long-term with the favourites. Make money, la!

Policeman 1:            Good idea.  I like this plan.

(3-hour conversation follows on successful betting strategies for sports gambling.  Finally…)

Policeman 2:            Okay, good talk. I like this, Mr. Tan. You got good ideas.   But if we arrest you and send you to Italy, you won’t tell them about X, Y and Z? (Names three well-known former Singaporean national team players who most people on the island think have been involved in fixing for years, but no one wants to arrest as they are so popular).

Dan Tan:            Don’t know what you are talking about.

Policeman 1:            Very good, la.  Okay.  If you don’t say anything about certain people in the Singaporean or Indonesian businesses community we can make a deal.  You do time in Italy, then come back here, eat good food, family still here – no problem!

Dan Tan:            Don’t know what you are talking about.

Policeman 1 & 2:  (laughing) Very good!  We like you.  We can do business, la!

**

Do not understand the cultural references?   Check out the blog post below.   And remember Dan Tan’s alleged activities have surprised only the naïve in Singapore’s law enforcement. There is a reason why he was not arrested before the arrest warrant from Interpol.  There is a reason why he was not arrested after the arrest warrant from Interpol.  There is a reason why he still has not been arrested.  Understand that reason (and it is in the fictional transcript above) and you understand the story of Dan Tan and all of the international match-fixing scandals.