Lim Tean deported to S’pore after arrest in Johor over failing to surrender for jail term
Lim Tean, a lawyer and opposition politician, was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police on Aug 6.
Singapore deported opposition party founder Lim Tean back to Malaysia on August 11 after his arrest in Johor Bahru. The Commercial Affairs Department apprehended the 61-year-old on his return from Malaysia. Lim, founder of the opposition party Peoples Voice, was originally arrested by Malaysian police on August 6 for failing to surrender at the Singapore State Courts on August 3 to commence his jail term for practicing law without a valid certificate.
The warrant for his arrest was issued on the same day. Police are currently investigating the circumstances of his illegal departure from Singapore. Lim, 61, was convicted of three charges under the Legal Profession Act in July 2024 and sentenced to six weeks' jail and a fine of $1,000 in February 2025. Between April and June 2021, Lim attended court hearings and submitted documents on 32 occasions despite not having a valid practising certificate.
He subsequently filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence in the High Court, which was later increased to three months and a week in February 2026. Lawyers in Singapore must obtain their practising certificate annually, and Lim failed to do so due to difficulties in obtaining professional indemnity insurance. Two Singaporeans, Mohammad Adam Abd Karim and Sulaiman Muhammad Firdaus, were charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice for allegedly assisting Lim's departure from Singapore on August 4.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
