SINGAPORE: Lawyer and politician Lim Tean was charged on Thursday (May 12) with legal breach of belief, unlawful stalking and being an unauthorised one that acted as an advocate or solicitor.
The 57-year-old faces one cost of legal breach of belief for allegedly misappropriating S$30,000 that was entrusted to him between Nov 14, 2019, and Dec 4, 2019, in response to cost sheets.
The police stated on Tuesday that the sum was awarded to Lim’s former shopper as a settlement in a motor damage civil swimsuit.
Lim additionally faces three prices of being an unauthorised one that acted as an advocate or solicitor. He is suspected of appearing for shoppers on 32 events between Apr 1, 2021, and Jun 4, 2021.
These embrace attending a listening to within the defamation swimsuit that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong introduced in opposition to Mr Terry Xu, chief editor of the now-defunct The Online Citizen, on Apr 19 final yr. Lim was Mr Xu’s lawyer.
He is additionally suspected of getting ready paperwork and devices regarding court docket proceedings on 33 events between Apr 1, 2021, and Jun 9, 2021, and suing out a writ of summons when appearing for Jiangsu New Huaming International Trading on Apr 1, 2021.
The police stated on Tuesday that Lim was alleged to have acted as an advocate or solicitor with out a legitimate practising certificates. Practising certificates are renewed on an annual foundation for each apply yr, which runs from Apr 1 to Mar 31 of the next yr.
Lim was additionally charged with unlawful stalking. The cost pertains to the alleged harassment of a former worker of Lim’s regulation agency in 2020.
Police beforehand stated that the worker referred them to textual content messages that she and Lim had exchanged.
Between April and May 2020, Lim is accused of repeatedly sending her flirtatious textual content messages, inflicting her misery, in response to cost sheets.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Edwin Soh stated the police required one other two months for investigations into additional potential offences that contain dishonest and legal breach of belief, with a risk that Lim could be given extra prices.
Lim will return to court docket in July for a pre-trial convention. A variety of his supporters attended the listening to on the State Courts on Thursday morning.
Lim, a lawyer with Carson Law Chambers, was arrested for alleged legal breach of belief in 2020 and additionally investigated for alleged unlawful stalking on the time.
His arrest got here after he did not attend a obligatory interview to help with investigations, alleging that the investigations in opposition to him had been “politically motivated”, the police stated in 2020.
The offence of legal breach of belief is punishable with jail for all times, or jail for as much as 20 years and a wonderful.
Those convicted of unlawful stalking resist a yr in jail, a wonderful of as much as S$5,000 or each.
Unauthorised individuals who act as an advocate or a solicitor resist six months in jail, a wonderful of as much as S$25,000 or each, for first-time offenders. For repeat offenders, the utmost punishment is doubled.
Source : channelnewsasia.com
