British authorities have confiscated rare dinosaur fossils, along with nine London properties and a collection of Chinese artworks, from a Chinese businessman in an effort to recover suspected criminal proceeds.
The case was brought by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) against Su Binghai, his company Su Empire Limited, and his wife at the High Court in London on Wednesday.
The NCA secured an unexplained wealth order—a civil mechanism increasingly deployed by UK law enforcement to compel individuals to prove they obtained assets lawfully.
Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, NCA reached a settlement with Su and his company on the same day. This law enables the NCA to seize assets believed to have been acquired illegally, even without a criminal conviction.
He was once wanted by authorities for his involvement in Singapore's largest money laundering case and ultimately fled to the United Kingdom via Malaysia.
The whole seizure—two Allosaurus skeletons and one Stegosaurus fossil—was purchased by Su Binghai at Christie's London auction last year for £12.4 million ($16.1 million). The 11 Chinese artworks recovered in the case were acquired at auction in 2022 for over £400,000 ($520,000), while the nine London apartments are valued at £15 million ($19.5 million).
The dinosaur skeletons are currently being held in a London storehouse, the NCA’s lawyer said.
Per the court order, Su will receive one quarter of the proceeds from the sale of all recovered assets, deposited into a bank account in his name.
According to reports from Malaysian and Singaporean media, Su Binghai was involved in a S$3 billion ($2.28 billion) money laundering case—the largest in Singapore's history to date.
In August 2023, Singapore police launched an island-wide operation, arresting 10 suspects accused of laundering illicit funds. All were Chinese nationals who also held citizenship from countries such as Cambodia, Dominica, Vanuatu, and Turkey.
However, authorities failed to apprehend Su, a key figure in the case, as he and his wife had already fled the country.