Lim Tean to be charged with criminal breach of trust, unlawful stalking and being an unauthorised person who acted as an advocate or solicitor

Lim Tean will be charged in court on Thursday (May 12) with criminal breach of trust, unlawful stalking and being an unauthorised person who acted as an advocate or solicitor.

According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Tuesday (May 10), “Sometime in November 2019, Lim Tean was entrusted with a sum of $30,000, awarded to a former client as settlement in respect of a motor injury civil suit.  Lim Tean is alleged to have misappropriated the $30,000”.

The SPF also added in their news release that the charge of unlawful stalking relates to the alleged harassment of a former employee in 2020 by Lim Tean, while she was working at his law firm.

Lim Tean is also alleged to have acted as an advocate or solicitor without a valid practising certificate on 66 separate occasions between 1 April 2021 and 9 June 2021.

In a Facebook video posted on Tuesday (May 10), Lim attempted to clear his name by explaining his version of things.

Adding that police investigation against him “in respect of separate matters are ongoing”, the SPF noted that the offence of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Penal Code is punishable with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 20 years, and with a fine.

The offence of unlawful stalking under Section 7(1) of the Protection of Harassment Act is punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or a fine not exceeding $5,000, or both.

The offence of acting as an advocate or solicitor as an unauthorised person under Section 33(1)(a) of the Legal Profession Act is punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or a fine not exceeding $25,000, or both.

Last year, Lim Tean had a team of debt collectors arrive at his law firm demanding that he settle an amount of money.

On Sept 21, in a Facebook video posted on the channel of a legal debt collection service, SDCS Holdings Pte Ltd, the entire process at Lim’s office was filmed and live-streamed online.

En route to Lim Tean’s office, SDCS officers filmed themselves and their preparations as they made their way there. One of the collectors spoke in the live stream video, explaining that though the sum owed is “not a big amount”, it is a matter of principle.

In the initial minutes of the video, the collector indicated that the person they were collecting the debt from was someone that viewers would recognise, but he refused to disclose the person’s name and the location he was at.

According to one of the SDCS officers, Lim had owed $4,905 to a company after engaging their services to post something on The Straits Times. /TISG

Debt collectors show up at Lim Tean’s office demanding payment with court order