- Lim Tean had failed to surrender at the Singapore State Courts on Aug 3 to begin his jail term for practising law without a valid certificate.
- The arrest warrant was issued against him on the same day, and he was arrested three days later in Johor Bahru by the Royal Malaysia Police.
- He was earlier convicted of three charges under the Legal Profession Act in July 2024.
AI generated
SINGAPORE - Lawyer and opposition politician Lim Tean, 61, was handed three extra charges on Oct 9.
He allegedly failed to present a valid passport to an immigration officer when leaving Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint on Aug 4.
He is also accused of doing an act that could defeat the course of justice by allegedly leaving Singapore for Malaysia unlawfully that day.
Lim purportedly did so to avoid serving his jail sentence which the Court of Appeal had ordered him to commence serving on Aug 3.
For his third charge, he allegedly failed to comply with the duty imposed on him to surrender to custody at the State Courts that day to start serving the sentence.
On Aug 3, Lim was expected to begin his jail term for practising law without a valid certificate. The arrest warrant was issued against him that day.
The founder of opposition party Peoples Voice was arrested three days later in Johor Bahru by the Royal Malaysia Police, then deported to Singapore on Aug 11.
The Singapore Police Force said the Commercial Affairs Department arrested Lim upon his return from Malaysia that day.
He had been convicted of three charges under the Legal Profession Act in July 2024, and sentenced to six weeks’ jail and a fine of $1,000 by a district judge in February 2025.
Lim had attended court hearings and submitted documents on 32 occasions between April and June 2021 while not having a valid practising certificate in force.
He later filed an appeal in the High Court against his conviction and sentence. Prosecutors also filed an appeal for a stiffer sentence of between five and eight months’ jail.
In February 2026, the High Court judge allowed the prosecution’s appeal and increased Lim’s sentence to imprisonment of three months and a week.
Lawyers in Singapore must apply for their practising certificate every practice year, which runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.
Lim failed to apply for a practising certificate by March 31, 2021, because he had trouble obtaining his professional indemnity insurance, a prerequisite for applying for the certificate.
On Aug 8, two Singaporeans who allegedly helped him leave Singapore were charged.
Mohammad Adam Abd Karim, 45, and Sulaiman Muhammad Firdaus, 38, were each handed one count of engaging in a conspiracy to commit an act that has a tendency to defeat the course of justice.
According to charge sheets, the two men had allegedly made arrangements for Lim to leave Singapore on Aug 4. Their cases are pending.
In April 2026, Lim was also fined $30,000 in a disciplinary case over his handling of a $30,000 cheque that was meant for his client.
The Law Society of Singapore had called for him to be struck off the rolls, while he argued before the Court of Three Judges that a very small fine should be imposed instead.
Lim still has multiple pending charges for offences including harassment and criminal breach of trust as an attorney.
He is currently serving his sentence for practising law without a valid certificate, and his pre-trial conference will be held on Oct 23.