Several London properties were also seized by the National Crime Agency
The National Crime Agency has seized three dinosaur skeletons worth £12.4m from a Chinese businessman linked to a $2bn money-laundering case. Binghai Su, 37, currently lives in the UK but was linked to the major operation in Singapore which took place between 2023 and 2024.
The investigation was Singapore’s largest ever money laundering case which culminated in simultaneous raids by over 400 police officers on August 15 2023 and recovered more than $2bn in criminal assets. Binghai Su was never charged in relation to the Singapore investigation.
In April this year the High Court allowed the NCA to grant an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) which froze Binghai Su’s assets in the UK. Binghai Su chose not respond to the UWO, and instead instructed Counsel to submit an application to discharge the UWO and freezing order.
On November 5 the NCA reached a settlement with Binghai Su and his company Su Empire Limited to recover assets that were deemed to represent the proceeds of crime.
The assets include three fossilised dinosaur skeletons — two Allosaurus skeletons (one juvenile/mother pair) and one Stegosaurus skeleton. The fossils were acquired via auction for a total around £12.4 million in December 2024. Other assets include nine London apartments purchased for £15.7 million in 2024 and a collection of 11 Chinese artworks bought at auction for over £400,000 in 2022.
Under the terms of the settlement the NCA will sell all of the identified property and retain 75 per cent of the proceeds, Su will receive the remaining 25 per cent. Binghai Su will also repay over £340,000 in rental income from the London apartments. The total recovered is expected to be in the region of £20-21 million.
Rob Burgess, head of Asset Denial, said: “While the recovery of dinosaur fossils is unusual, they demonstrate the value of the Proceeds of Crime Act which allows us to recover suspected criminal assets, whatever form they take. The result is the same, be it cash, houses or dinosaur bones; preventing people benefiting from the proceeds of crime.”
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