Two men to be charged over alleged arrangements for Lim Tean to leave Singapore illegally

Singapore police have announced that two men will face charges on Saturday for allegedly conspiring to help Lim Tean, a lawyer, illegally leave the country. The 37-year-old and 44-year-old Singaporeans have been charged with conspiracy to commit an act that undermines justice, with a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison, a fine, or both. The offense is considered a serious violation by authorities.

Lim Tean was due to surrender at the Singapore State Courts on Monday to serve a three-month and one-week jail term for practicing law without a valid certificate. However, he failed to appear and could not be contacted. Authorities issued an arrest warrant, leading to his arrest in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, by the Royal Malaysia Police on Thursday.

Lim was convicted in July 2024 after a trial, with his sentence initially increased from six weeks to three months and one week after the Court of Appeal agreed that it was too lenient. He was declared bankrupt in April and fined S$30,000 for mishandling a former client's money. Lim, who founded Peoples Voice and serves as secretary-general of the People's Alliance for Reform, was third in the 2023 Potong Pasir SMC election, behind Alex Yeo and Williamson Lee.