Lim Tean’s bailor Leong Sze Hian forfeits S$45,000 after lawyer allegedly absconds to Malaysia

"I had no reason to believe that he was going to run away," said Mr Leong Sze Hian.

Leong Sze Hian (left) was the bailor for lawyer Lim Tean when the latter allegedly absconded to Malaysia ahead of his jail term. (Photos: SPF, CNA file)

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SINGAPORE: Socio-political blogger Leong Sze Hian, who acted as bailor for lawyer Lim Tean, had the full S$45,000 (US$35,300) bail amount forfeited on Thursday (Sep 17), after Lim allegedly absconded to Malaysia.

Mr Leong, 72, argued against the forfeiture, saying he had tried his best to fulfil his duties as a bailor and had contacted Lim the day before the lawyer was due to surrender.

"We told Mr Lim that we would send him off. He then messaged me to say there was no need, as he would be making a statement about jobs the next day in the morning before he reported for jail," said Mr Leong.

Mr Leong added that on the day Lim was due to surrender, Lim's lawyer contacted him and said Lim had transferred two cases to him.

"So given the circumstances, I had no reason to believe that he was going to run away," said Mr Leong.

Mr Leong asked the court to consider his personal circumstances, saying he had a slipped disc and high blood pressure. His wife had also undergone two major cancer operations and had other health conditions, he said.

However, District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt judge agreed with the prosecutor that the full sum of S$45,000, comprising S$30,000 in monetary security for one case and S$15,000 in non-monetary security for another, should be forfeited as Mr Leong had failed to fulfil his obligations as surety.

Monetary bail refers to cash or cash equivalents, while non-monetary bail can be put up by pledging property such as luxury goods, jewellery and watches.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong said Mr Leong had failed to communicate daily with Lim as required, and did not contact him on the day he was due to surrender, doing so only after the investigation officer contacted Mr Leong.

Lim, 61, was due to surrender at the State Courts on Aug 3 to begin serving a jail term of three months and one week for practising law without a valid certificate.

Instead, Lim left Singapore while on court bail furnished by Mr Leong and a warrant of arrest was issued against him.

Lim was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police on Aug 6 and handed over to the Singapore Police Force on Aug 11.

He has since begun serving his jail term and has not yet been charged with any offence relating to the alleged abscondment.

Lim was convicted in July 2024 for practising as a lawyer for about two months in 2021 when he did not have a valid certificate. He had attended court hearings on behalf of clients on 32 occasions during the period when he did not have a valid practising certificate.

A district court sentenced him in February 2025 to six weeks' jail and a S$1,000 fine.

The High Court later increased his sentence to three months and one week's jail after a judge agreed with the prosecution that it was "manifestly inadequate".

Lim was declared bankrupt in April 2026. In the same month, he was also fined S$30,000 over his conduct in handling a former client's money.

Two men were charged last month with conspiring to arrange for Lim to leave Singapore illegally. They are remanded and due to return to court later this month.

Lim is the founder of Peoples Voice and secretary-general of the People's Alliance for Reform, an alliance of opposition parties.

At the 2025 General Election, he contested Potong Pasir SMC in a three-way fight and came third behind the People's Action Party's Alex Yeo and Singapore People's Party candidate Williamson Lee.

Lim had represented Mr Leong in a defamation suit brought by then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2020. Mr Leong lost and was ordered to pay Mr Lee S$133,000 in damages.

More recently in 2024, Mr Leong was issued a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction direction for a Facebook post about housing grants.

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梁思贤先生说：“我没有任何理由相信他会逃跑。”

梁思贤（左）是律师林添的保释人，林添据称在服刑前潜逃至马来西亚。（图片：新加坡警察部队、亚洲新闻台资料图）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：社会政治博主梁思贤为律师林添提供保释，但林添据称已潜逃至马来西亚，因此梁思贤的45000新元（35300美元）保释金于周四（9月17日）被没收。

72岁的梁先生对没收财产提出异议，称他已尽力履行保释人的职责，并在律师应自首的前一天联系了林先生。

梁先生说：“我们告诉林先生我们会把他送走。然后他发信息告诉我不用了，因为他第二天早上会在去监狱报到之前就工作情况做个陈述。”

梁先生补充说，在林某应该投案自首的那天，林某的律师联系了他，说林某已经把两个案件转交给了他。

“所以，鉴于当时的情况，我没有理由相信他会逃跑，”梁先生说。

梁先生请求法庭考虑他的个人情况，称他患有椎间盘突出和高血压。他还说，他的妻子也曾接受过两次大型癌症手术，并患有其他疾病。

然而，地方法官蔡元发同意检察官的观点，认为应没收全部 45,000 新元的保证金，其中包括一宗案件的 30,000 新元金钱保证金和另一宗案件的 15,000 新元非金钱保证金，因为梁先生未能履行其作为担保人的义务。

货币保释是指以现金或现金等价物支付的保释金，而非货币保释则可以通过抵押奢侈品、珠宝和手表等财产来支付。

副检察官布莱恩·黄表示，梁先生未能按要求每天与林先生沟通，也没有在林先生应该投案自首的那天联系他，而是在调查人员联系梁先生后才联系了他。

现年 61 岁的林某原定于 8 月 3 日到州法院报到，开始服刑三个月零一周的监禁，罪名是无有效执业证书从事法律工作。

相反，林某在梁先生提供的保释金保释期间离开了新加坡，法院对他发出了逮捕令。

林某于8月6日被马来西亚皇家警察逮捕，并于8月11日移交给新加坡警察部队。

他目前已开始服刑，尚未因涉嫌潜逃而被指控任何罪行。

林某于2024年7月被判有罪，罪名是他在2021年无有效律师执照的情况下执业约两个月。在此期间，他曾32次代表客户出庭。

2025年2月，地方法院判处他六周监禁和1000新元罚款。

高等法院后来将他的刑期增加到三个月零一周的监禁，因为一名法官同意检方的观点，认为原判“明显不足”。

林某于 2026 年 4 月被宣布破产。同月，他还因处理前客户资金的行为被罚款 3 万新元。

上个月，两名男子被控合谋安排林某非法离开新加坡。他们已被还押候审，将于本月晚些时候再次出庭。

林是人民之声的创始人，也是反对党联盟——人民改革联盟的秘书长。

在 2025 年大选中，他参加了波东巴西单选区的竞选，与另外两名候选人角逐，最终位列第三，落后于人民行动党的亚历克斯·杨和新加坡人民党的威廉姆森·李。

林先生曾代表梁先生处理时任总理李显龙于 2020 年提起的诽谤诉讼。梁先生败诉，并被判向李先生支付 133,000 新元的赔偿金。

最近，在 2024 年，梁先生因在 Facebook 上发布的有关住房补助金的帖子，被《防止网络虚假信息和操纵法》(POFMA) 下达了更正指令。

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