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A 62-year-old man in Singapore has claimed that a woman whom he calls his ex-girlfriend, is refusing to give him back S$50,000, which he has supposedly entrusted to her for safekeeping,

The 62-year-old woman has categorically denied his allegations, saying that their relationship has never gone beyond that of colleagues and that he is slandering her after she refused his advances.

His side of the story

Xie Shun An (all names in hanyu pinyin) told Shin Min Daily News (SMDN) that he first met the woman, identified only by her surname Hong, when he started working at a shipyard in 1996.

They remained as colleagues for years, but did not keep in touch when he changed jobs.

Things changed in 2014 when they ran into each other by chance, and Xie, who was single at the time, began wooing Hong as he developed feelings for her. He claimed that he soon moved into her apartment, where he rented a room for S$600 a month.

Xie averred that he decided to hand S$50,000 to Hong for temporary safekeeping as he wanted a safe place to keep his cash and wasn't sure how to manage his money. The pair apparently signed an agreement which stated that Hong would return Xie the money when he needed it back. This agreement is said to have been signed in the presence of a mutual good friend.

Three months after the agreement was signed, the relationship between Xie and Hong soured, and he asked her to give him his money.

She allegedly refused.

He said, "I handed her the money for safekeeping because I trusted her. I didn't expect her to deny (that the entire thing ever happened)."

Xie said he has spent eight years trying to get his money back but to no avail.

Her side of the story

SMDN also spoke to Hong, who rubbished Xie's claims.

According to her, she has never:

• Helped Xie keep his money
• Signed any agreement with Xie
• Rented a room to Xie
• Accepted Xie's romantic pursuits

She added that their relationship has never gone beyond that of superior and subordinate, and that he had been "fired" multiple times during work after getting caught drinking on the job.

Hong said:

"He's simple-minded and assumed that our relationship was beyond what it really was. I've never liked him and he's trying to destroy me just because he didn't succeed in wooing me. I'm very disappointed in him and will consider applying for a personal protection order so that he can no longer harass me."

Their ex-colleague speaks up

A mutual ex-colleague told SMDN that they witnessed Xie handing cash to Hong, and that she had signed an agreement. However, they could not confirm how much money was involved.

Xie has photocopy of alleged agreement

Xie showed a photocopy of the alleged agreement to SMDN, which is believed to have been signed on Jun. 26, 2014.

He explained that he has tried various methods to get his money back -- from visiting Hong at her home, calling and texting her, calling the police, seeking legal assistance, and enquiring with debt collection companies.

The man said that he has been unable to get his money back as he has lost the original agreement, and because he is unwilling to pay the hefty fees should he engage a debt collection company.

Xie, who recently lost his job and has no savings, hopes to get his S$50,000 back as soon as possible.

He keeps a photo of him and Hong as his profile picture to remind himself that she owes him money.

Squandered over S$1 million on gambling

Xie also told SMDN that he used to earn S$5,000 a month as a supervisor, and would sometimes earn over S$10,000 when he went to work on the sea.

He claimed to have "saved a large sum of money", but lost all of it through gambling. He estimates his total losses to be over S$1 million.

Xie also claims to have dated Hong's deceased younger sister

To add to his list of claims, Xie shared that he dated Hong's younger sister in 2000.

He asserted that the younger Hong, who suffered from depression, gifted him with a Rolex watch to thank him for caring for her. She died in 2002 when a sports car that she was driving caught fire.

Xie claimed that Hong told him to give her a Rolex watch worth "about S$20,000" when he pressed her for his S$50,000.

In response, Hong said the relationship between Xie and her younger sister is unrelated to her, maintaining that her dispute with Xie has nothing to do with the watch.

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Top photo from Shin Min Daily News.