Singapore blogger out S$45,000 after lawyer Lim Tean flees to Malaysia

The Singapore District Court has mandated socio-political blogger Leong Sze Hian to forfeit his entire S$45,000 bail after lawyer Lim Tean absconded to Malaysia to avoid a custodial sentence.

Despite his efforts to fulfill bailor duties, including maintaining regular contact and receiving assurances from Lim, Leong's appeal for leniency due to personal hardships was denied.

The court upheld the full forfeiture due to Leong's failure to ensure Lim's compliance with bail conditions.

Lim was extradited to Singapore and is serving a sentence for unauthorized legal practice, with further charges pending regarding his escape.

SINGAPORE, Sept 17 — Socio-political blogger Leong Sze Hian has been ordered by a district court to forfeit the entire S$45,000 (RM145,000) bail sum he posted for lawyer Lim Tean, after Lim fled to Malaysia to evade a custodial sentence.

Appearing before the State Courts on Thursday, the 72-year-old blogger contested the forfeiture application, arguing that he had made every effort to discharge his responsibilities as a bailor and had communicated with Lim just 24 hours before the lawyer was due to surrender to prison authorities, CNA reported.

“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 Leong.

Leong added that on the morning Lim was scheduled to begin serving his sentence, Lim’s instructing counsel informed him that the lawyer had formally transferred two active legal briefs.

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

Appealing for judicial leniency, Leong asked the court to weigh his personal hardships, noting that he suffers from a slipped disc and hypertension, while his wife is recovering from two major cancer operations alongside other chronic medical conditions.

He maintained that he had diligently fulfilled his bailor duties over the past six years, keeping in “constant contact” with Lim during every court appearance and police interview since the lawyer’s initial arrest in October 2020 on suspicion of criminal breach of trust.

Leong asserted that in the month before Lim was due to report to prison, he was contacting him “almost daily” or at least once every two days.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong pressed for total forfeiture, arguing that Leong failed to maintain mandatory daily contact and neglected to verify Lim’s whereabouts on the surrender date until prompted by an investigation officer.

District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt agreed with the prosecution, ruling that the full S$45,000 must be surrendered because Leong failed to uphold his core obligations as a surety.

Chay reminded Leong that standing bail carries strict legal obligations, primarily ensuring that the accused complies with all conditions, including not leaving Singapore without judicial sanction, subject to automatic forfeiture upon default.

Lim, 61, was scheduled to surrender on Aug 3 to commence a jail term of three months and one week for practising law without a valid certificate. Instead, he slipped out of the country, triggering an arrest warrant.

He was apprehended by the Royal Malaysia Police on Aug 6 and extradited to the Singapore Police Force on Aug 11. Lim is currently serving his sentence and has not yet been formally charged over the alleged abscondment.

Lim was convicted in July 2024 for unauthorised practice after attending 32 court hearings on behalf of clients in 2021 without a valid practising certificate.

A district court initially sentenced him to six weeks’ jail and a S$1,000 fine in February 2025, but the High Court subsequently enhanced the term to three months and one week after ruling that the initial sentence was “manifestly inadequate”.

Lim was declared bankrupt in April 2026 and fined S$30,000 the same month over professional misconduct involving client funds. Two men were separately charged last month with conspiring to arrange his illegal cross-border escape.

Lim is the founder of the opposition party Peoples Voice and secretary-general of the People’s Alliance for Reform, having contested Potong Pasir SMC during the 2025 General Election.

He previously represented Leong in a 2020 defamation lawsuit filed by then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, which resulted in Leong being ordered to pay S$133,000 in damages.

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新加坡地方法院已下令社会政治博主梁思贤没收其全部 45,000 新元的保释金，此前其律师林添逃往马来西亚以逃避监禁判决。

尽管梁先生努力履行保释人的义务，包括与林先生保持定期联系并获得其保证，但他因个人困难而提出的宽大处理请求被驳回。

由于梁某未能确保林某遵守保释条件，法院维持了全部没收财产的判决。

林某被引渡回新加坡，因非法执业罪正在服刑，另有关于他越狱的指控悬而未决。

新加坡，9 月 17 日——社会政治博主梁思贤被地方法院勒令没收他为律师林添缴纳的全部 45,000 新元（145,000 令吉）保释金，此前林添逃往马来西亚以逃避监禁刑罚。

据亚洲新闻台报道，这位72岁的博主周四在国家法院出庭，对没收保释金的申请提出异议，辩称他已尽一切努力履行保释人的职责，并在律师林某向监狱当局自首前24小时与他联系过。

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做一份关于就业的声明。”

梁补充说，在林某原定开始服刑的那天早上，林某的律师通知他，律师已正式移交了两份正在处理的法律文件。

“所以，鉴于当时的情况，我没有任何理由相信他会逃跑，”梁先生说。

梁先生请求法庭从轻发落，并表示他患有椎间盘突出和高血压，而他的妻子正在从两次重大癌症手术中恢复，同时还患有其他慢性疾病，因此他请求法庭考虑他的个人困境。

他坚称，在过去的六年里，他一直尽职尽责地履行保释人的职责，自林律师于 2020 年 10 月因涉嫌刑事失信被捕以来，在林律师每次出庭和接受警方讯问期间，他都与林律师保持“密切联系”。

梁先生声称，在林某入狱服刑的前一个月，他“几乎每天”或至少每两天都会与他联系。

副检察官布莱恩·黄力主全部没收财产，他认为梁某未能履行每日强制联系义务，并且直到调查人员提醒后才在投案当日核实林某的下落。

地方法官蔡元发同意控方的观点，裁定梁某未能履行其作为担保人的核心义务，因此必须上缴全部 45,000 新元。

Chay提醒Leong，保释附带严格的法律义务，主要确保被告遵守所有条件，包括未经司法批准不得离开新加坡，否则将自动没收保释金。

现年61岁的林某原定于8月3日入狱服刑三个月零一周，罪名是无证执业。然而，他却潜逃出境，导致警方发出逮捕令。

他于8月6日被马来西亚皇家警察逮捕，并于8月11日被引渡至新加坡警察部队。林目前正在服刑，尚未因涉嫌潜逃而被正式起诉。

林某于 2024 年 7 月被判犯有无证执业罪，此前他在 2021 年代表客户出席了 32 次法庭听证会，但他没有有效的执业证书。

2025 年 2 月，地方法院最初判处他六周监禁和 1000 新元罚款，但高等法院随后裁定最初的判决“明显不足”，并将刑期加重至三个月零一周。

林某于2026年4月被宣布破产，并于同月因涉及客户资金的职业不当行为被罚款3万新元。上个月，另有两名男子被控合谋安排林某非法越境逃亡。

林冠英是反对党人民之声的创始人，也是人民改革联盟的秘书长，他曾参加2025年大选，竞选波东巴西单选区议员。

他此前曾代表梁某处理 2020 年由时任总理李显龙提起的诽谤诉讼，最终梁某被判赔偿 133,000 新元。

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