A Singaporean couple facing dozens of
credit card fraud charges plan to appeal a judge’s refusal to grant
them bail after more than a month in custody.

Defence counsel Christopher Persson said an appeal would be made
to the High Court after today’s decision by Christchurch District
Court Judge John Bisphan to hold the pair in custody for a
pre-depositions conference on November 6.

The Christchurch Court News website reported the pair have been
held in custody since their arrest and first court appearance on
September 11.

Suliaman Bin Haron, 50, and his wife, Saerah Binte Men, 49, each
face 31 joint charges.

No occupation is given for Haron, and Men’s occupation is given
as housewife. Their address is listed on the charge sheets as
Angmokio Avenue, Singapore.

It emerged at today’s bail hearing that police were not certain
of the pair’s their true identities.

They are jointly charged with dishonestly obtaining credit cards
in a variety of names and then using, or attempting to use them, to
obtain items of property.

The offences refer to dates from late in August to the day of
their arrest in September. Police allege the offences were committed
at Auckland and Queenstown.

Persson told the court the pair were in New Zealand on
visitors’ visas.

Bisphan said he accepted the police assertion that there
was “a real and significant risk of flight”.

“The police say they don’t really know who these people are,
that documents show them under different names, and that there are
significant inquiries to be made. I’m not prepared to grant bail.”