Lawyer shows off Chanel, Dior haul from Singapore's $2.3B money laundering auction

A lawyer in Singapore has shown off the Chanel jewelry and Dior bags she won at an online auction of luxury goods seized in the country's S$3 billion (US$2.34 billion) money laundering case. Debbie Brittany Lim said in an Instagram video posted on Sept. 30 that she won six lots after browsing the auction on a whim, AsiaOne reported.Her haul comprises two Chanel brooches, two Chanel necklaces, a Dior vanity case and a limited-edition Dior bag.In her caption, Lim joked that she was being patriotic by contributing to the government's Consolidated Fund while picking up a small piece of Singapore's history.Most of the Chanel pieces arrived without their original boxes, which she said made them feel as though they had come directly from a police seizure. One necklace did come boxed, leading her to believe it had never been used.She was most excited about the Dior in Lights bag, from the brand's Cruise 2021 collection, and joked that the bidding nearly gave her a heart attack. She had also wanted a limited-edition Lady Dior bag but lost out to faster bidders.Lim did not reveal how much she paid.AsiaOne quoted her as saying she felt she had "accidentally bought six tiny pieces of Singapore history." Debbie Brittany Lim holds a limited-edition beaded Dior bag and a Dior vanity case (L), alongside the Chanel brooches and necklaces she won at an auction of goods seized in Singapore's S$3 billion money laundering case. Photo courtesy of Instagram The goods are being sold by local auction house Hotlotz, which Deloitte appointed to run 15 online auctions of more than 1,000 forfeited luxury items between September 2026 and May 2027, according to The Straits Times. Proceeds are paid into the Consolidated Fund, in effect the government's bank account.Hotlotz's first sale of handbags and accessories closed on Sept. 20 with all 337 lots sold for a total of more than S$1.1 million ($860,000), Mothership reported. Chanel accounted for 219 of the lots.Four forfeited condominium units, two each at Martin Modern and Wallich Residence, were sold at an auction held by real estate agency SRI on Sept. 23. Auctions by Edmund Tie & Company the same day and by Knight Frank on Sept. 17 ended without a sale, The Straits Times reported.The assets were seized in Singapore's largest money laundering case, which came to light when islandwide raids on Aug. 15, 2023 led to the arrest of 10 foreigners. All have since been convicted and deported, according to the newspaper.