A 52-YEAR-OLD man was jailed for 20 months on Thursday for helping his fugitive lawyer friend David Rasif to sell five gold bars and dishonestly receiving $27,000 from the sale of one bar.

Lye Thiam Hock, a consultant, pleaded guilty to scheming with Bernard Ong Ee Beng, 46, between June 26 and July 2006 to dispose of five gold bars, each weighing 1kg, which he had reason to believe to be stolen.

He also admitted receiving the proceeds of $27,000 from the sale of one gold bar to goldsmith Liu Yuk Ming in late June that year.

Two other charges were considered.

A district court heard that Rasif bought 47 gold bars worth $1.65 million from United Overseas Bank in June that year.

He then handed 28 bars to Ong for safe-keeping. and the rest through a friend three days later.

Ong, who is serving two years' jail for the offences, in turn gave 19 gold bars to Lye to keep at his Tampines home.

Lye subsequently sold two gold bars to Mr Liu for $54,000 without telling Ong.

Ong later asked Lye to sell two gold bars for him for $31,000. Lye then gave him $15,500 and held on to the balance. Lye made a profit of $23,000 from the initial sale.

Lye sold five more gold bars to Mr Liu for $135,000 and pocketed the difference of $36,000.

Following the duo's arrest, police recovered 40 gold bars, about 2kg of loose pieces of gold, and $174,500.

Rasif, who is at large, is believed to have bought jewellery worth about $2 million as well as gold bars before he left for Bangkok on June 5, 2006.