Singapore — Lawyer and opposition Peoples Voice party chief Lim Tean was arrested in his office on Friday morning (Oct 2), the police said in a statement.
Mr Lim was arrested for suspected criminal breach of trust under the Penal Code. He is also being investigated for an alleged offence of unlawful stalking under the Protection from Harassment Act.
In a Facebook statement the same day, his lawyer M Ravi wrote: “3 police officers from the Commercial Affairs Department just barged into the office and arrested Lim Tean whilst he is preparing his case with Leong Sze Hian in his room for next Tuesday’s defamation trial to cross-examine the Prime Minister.”
Calling Mr Lim’s arrest “unlawful”, Mr Ravi added: “Lim Tean protested when they placed the handcuff on him that his arrest is politically motivated.”
https://www.facebook.com/mravihrn/posts/3309574305778547
In a statement, the police said that the arrest was not politically motivated.
“The police reject his allegations that the investigations are politically motivated,” according to the police statement. “Mr Lim Tean’s alleged victims had filed police reports alleging serious offences by him against them, and the police have a duty to investigate the allegations”, they wrote in a Facebook post.
https://www.facebook.com/singaporepoliceforce/posts/10160359026484408
Lawyers for a former client of Mr Lim had lodged a police report alleging criminal breach of trust in a motor injury suit. The client alleged that Mr Lim had misappropriated a sum of money awarded to him as damages by the court.
Mr Lim is also under investigation for an unlawful stalking complaint by a former employee. The employee alleged that she was harassed by him when she was working at his law firm, referring police to text messages between her and Mr Lim.
“The former client alleged that Mr Lim Tean had misappropriated a sum of money awarded to him as damages by the court.
The police added that Mr Lim was issued with a written notice last Wednesday, instructing him to attend a compulsory interview at the Police Cantonment Complex on Monday to assist with investigations into the two cases. He was also told that he could reschedule the interview to another date, if necessary.
However, Mr Lim replied through his lawyer on Sunday, the day before the interview, that he had no intention to turn up for the session and alleging that the investigations were politically motivated.
The police statement added that, as Mr Lim did not cooperate with the notice to attend an interview and had stated clearly that he had no intent to comply, the police had no choice but to arrest him in order to conduct their investigations. /TISG