TODAY / 17 Sep 2020 SDP appeals against High Court decision on its Pofma case about job figures The SDP case concerns claims that the party had made about employment statistics for Singaporean professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in two Facebook posts and an article on its website in June last year.

Straits Times / 17 Sep 2020 Who is minding the gap on health in health insurance? A regulatory void exists with MAS regulating the financial aspects of health insurance providers, but no agency regulating the health coverage provided.

Straits Times / 17 Sep 2020 Ex-doctor in HIV data-leak case takes stand for not giving CNB urine sample On the second day of his trial yesterday, Ler Teck Siang argued that he did not believe officers were giving him a "legal order" to provide a urine sample after he was arrested for drug-related offences in 2018.

Straits Times / 17 Sep 2020 Shanmugam to address Parti Liyani case in Parliament He will make ministerial statement on case involving former maid acquitted of theft.

Singapore Law Watch / 17 Sep 2020 ADV: TechLaw.Fest 2020: 28 September – 2 October Don’t Just Image The Future; Live It! Check out this year’s programme and register your complimentary ticket.

Straits Times / 17 Sep 2020 Take long-term view in changes to justice system: Forum It is heartening to read about the latest steps that will be taken to ease the divorce process, in particular for those without legal representation (Online portal to ease process of uncontested divorces: CJ, Sept 15).

Straits Times / 16 Sep 2020 Scheme to help law firms adopt tech extended Tech-celerate for Law, which helps law practices adopt technology, has been extended to January next year.

Straits Times / 16 Sep 2020 Man on trial for killing girlfriend in Geylang hotel Bangladeshi painter faces death penalty for 2018 murder of Indonesian domestic worker.

Straits Times / 16 Sep 2020 2 SCDF officers get 10 weeks' jail each over ragging death Strong stance needed to ensure safety of servicemen remains paramount, says judge.

Singapore Law Watch / 16 Sep 2020 ADV: SAL Annual Review of 2019 Cases on Building and Construction Law The Courts have in 2019, issued a variety of authoritative decisions in the building and construction sphere. Presenters will deal with these cases and discuss the amendments to the SOPA.

Straits Times / 16 Sep 2020 Trial begins for former doctor in HIV data-leak case A former doctor involved in the HIV Registry data leak saga is claiming trial to a charge of failing to provide a urine specimen to narcotics officers in relation to drug offences.

Straits Times / 15 Sep 2020 Online portal to ease process of uncontested divorces: CJ Couples in such cases and without lawyers will soon not have to attend court hearings.

Business Times / 15 Sep 2020 ZenRock, Agritrade face winding up; Hontop put under JM ZenRock owes HSBC about US$49 million, while its total debt to banks is understood to stand at around US$165 million.

Straits Times / 15 Sep 2020 S'pore and Japan launch mediation service to settle business disputes Under joint protocol, firms will have access to mediation at lower fees starting from $6,500.

Straits Times / 15 Sep 2020 Grab fined $10k over fourth data privacy breach in two years According to a written decision by the PDPC published last Thursday, a software update to Grab's ride-hailing app on Aug 30 last year exposed the personal data of 21,541 GrabHitch drivers and passengers to the risk of unauthorised access.

Singapore Law Watch / 15 Sep 2020 ADV: Adjunct Research Position at the NUS Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law Join us on a journey towards excellence in teaching and research!

Straits Times / 15 Sep 2020 Harsher penalties for those who cause fire hazards SCDF can now prosecute immediately, as part of amendments to Fire Safety Act.

TODAY / 15 Sep 2020 Former director of NTU subsidiaries on trial for cheating the university in case involving S$231,000 Viktor Cheng Choong Hung faces 43 charges, mostly of cheating, conspiring to cheat NTU and its subsidiaries, and concealing criminal proceeds between 2014 and 2016.

Straits Times / 15 Sep 2020 Do more to support and develop pro bono work: Forum In addition to reviewing the support given to pro bono lawyers, we should also encourage law firms and law schools to disclose the number of hours that they dedicate to pro bono causes, as well as their notable achievements in handling such cases.

Straits Times / 13 Sep 2020 Singapore Convention on Mediation comes into force An international convention that aims to help businesses resolve cross-border disputes and further facilitate international trade took effect yesterday.

Straits Times / 13 Sep 2020 Committed lawyer of ex-maid Parti Liyani leaves no stone unturned and shuns the limelight Mr Balchandani has garnered widespread praise for securing the acquittal of Indonesian Parti Liyani, yet the engineer-turned-lawyer has been quick to deflect the plaudits and shuns the limelight.

Straits Times / 13 Sep 2020 The curious case of the maid, the business tycoon and the pink knife While reviews of the dramatic case go over what led to a wrongful conviction of a domestic maid that was overturned on appeal, the authorities must also probe deeper to look at systemic weaknesses and underlying biases.

Straits Times / 12 Sep 2020 Singlife, Aviva Singapore to merge in $3.2b deal Transaction will make entity one of South-east Asia's largest insurers and biggest in S'pore.

Straits Times / 12 Sep 2020 SDP's appeal on 10m population claim adjourned Case will resume after Court of Appeal rules on two other appeals related to Pofma.

Straits Times / 11 Sep 2020 Updates to competition guidelines proposed No major competition issues were identified in the local e-commerce sector despite worries over industry players expanding into multiple market segments, a study by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) found.

Straits Times / 11 Sep 2020 2 out of 3 online shoppers encounter unfair practices: Study False claims relating to discounts or benefits among top complaints.

Straits Times / 11 Sep 2020 3 charged with trying to obstruct course of justice Case involving 2 lawyers, another man linked to probe by Singapore Customs.

Straits Times / 11 Sep 2020 Jail, caning for member of trio who robbed bitcoin buyer of $365,000 Jaromel Gee Ming Li, 29, was sentenced to three years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane yesterday.

Business Times / 11 Sep 2020 Succession plans at financial firms part of new accountability guidelines from MAS MAS said it is looking to shape ethical business practices, as well as prudent risk-taking behaviour and robust risk management. The IAC guidelines supplement the existing regulatory framework.

Business Times / 10 Sep 2020 Joint bank accounts may come under more scrutiny in debt chase Landmark ruling departs from previous position that such accounts can't be garnished.

Straits Times / 10 Sep 2020 Penny stock crash: Accused duo fail in bid to stay criminal proceedings John Soh Chee Wen and Quah Su-Ling are facing 189 charges and 178 charges respectively for their role in the 2013 penny stock crash.

Straits Times / 10 Sep 2020 A-G not involved in ex-maid's case, recuses himself from review Deputy A-G Hri Kumar Nair to lead review into issues raised in High Court ruling.

Singapore Law Watch / 10 Sep 2020 ADV: TechLaw.Fest 2020: Complimentary Tickets Register for your complimentary space at the world's premier legal tech conference.

Business Times / 10 Sep 2020 MAS to step up 'supervisory engagement' to ensure banks meet Sora transition timelines Key challenge is how to encourage market participants to shift from SOR-based market, which is still deep and liquid, to nascent but developing Sora-based market: top official

Straits Times / 09 Sep 2020 Sengkang Town Council appoints panel Sengkang Town Council has appointed an independent panel to handle all matters related to the pending appeals against a High Court judgment involving Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PRPTC).

Straits Times / 09 Sep 2020 Former maid now a free woman after being cleared of 5th charge Charge of fraudulent possession of property unrelated to 4 theft charges she was acquitted of.

Business Times / 09 Sep 2020 'We've to... deal with what went wrong', Shanmugam weighs in on case involving Liew Mun Leong's former helper The case also led to some questioning whether the class and status gulf between Ms Parti and the Liews had contributed to unfairness in the way the case was handled.

Straits Times / 08 Sep 2020 Breach of justice in bankruptcy orders: Apex court CJ, Judge of Appeal find family had no fair chance to contest Indonesian court orders.

Straits Times / 08 Sep 2020 Man who sexually abused young nephew jailed for 22 years For nearly five years, a boy was sexually abused by his uncle, who started touching the victim inappropriately when he was about five or six years old, and then progressed to more heinous acts.

Business Times / 08 Sep 2020 Price transparency guidelines to fight misleading practices kick in from Nov 1 The Singapore Retailers' Association is confident its members are already compliant with CPFTA in price practices, but the guidelines will help to "prevent miscommunication or misunderstanding" between retailers and shoppers, says...

Straits Times / 08 Sep 2020 Law Ministry, Ipos seek public feedback on copyrighted works Views wanted on relevance of exceptions that allow for digital reproduction of such works.

Business Times / 07 Sep 2020 Singapore's new VCC Act the main event drawing funds here The Variable Capital Companies regime is a game changer for funds moving here, including those from Hong Kong.

Straits Times / 07 Sep 2020 Agencies looking into issues judge raised in acquitting maid of theft The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), the police and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) are looking into the case of a former domestic worker acquitted of stealing from Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family.

Straits Times / 07 Sep 2020 Rise in claims over injuries in public places Lawyers say people now more aware of their rights, most cases settled before going to trial.

Straits Times / 07 Sep 2020 Woman sues over spinal cord op on 'wrong level' This is the seventh in The Straits Times series by Senior Law Correspondent K.C. Vijayan on legal issues, with each edition tied to a specific area of law. Today's articles, themed on negligence and the duty of care, look at major and minor...

Straits Times / 07 Sep 2020 Hearing to assess damages hospital is liable to pay It was about 6am in Galway, Ireland, when Dr David Breen, chairman of the Lung Cancer Group of the Republic of Ireland's National Cancer Control Programme, testified in the High Court in Singapore via videoconference on Zoom.

Straits Times / 06 Sep 2020 Judge notes serious risk of evidence contamination In a detailed 100-page judgment on Friday, a High Court judge acquitted a former domestic worker of stealing from the affluent family that she worked for. Justice Chan Seng Onn laid out the reasons why a police report may have been made against...

Straits Times / 05 Sep 2020 Former maid acquitted of theft from home of CAG chairman She had been accused of stealing $34k worth of items from Liew Mun Leong and family.

Straits Times / 05 Sep 2020 Virtual AGMs and shareholder meetings to be allowed till June Move will help lower risk of Covid-19 transmission even after restrictions are relaxed.

Straits Times / 05 Sep 2020 Bill to provide for $8b in extra expenditure to be tabled in October The $8 billion support packaged will be used to save jobs, create new ones and seize new growth opportunities.

Straits Times / 04 Sep 2020 Proposal to let assessors specify rent waiver sum in disputes Bill follows June move requiring landlords to waive rent for eligible SMEs hit by pandemic.

Business Times / 04 Sep 2020 The shifting M&A landscape amid Covid-19 A look at the trends that are becoming noticeable as business models are restructured, and the principles that could be relevant to decision-making.

Straits Times / 04 Sep 2020 Legal letter to Soh sent as a last resort: Liew Ashley Liew said that the "numerous comments, blog posts" disputing his act of sportsmanship had cast him in a "very negative light".

Straits Times / 04 Sep 2020 House sees spirited debate on issue of minimum wage WP's Jamus Lim concedes policy cannot be implemented now, given the pandemic fallout.

Straits Times / 03 Sep 2020 Court of Appeal upholds sale of co-owned house to pay ex-SSC president's debts of $3.2m The two-storey semi-detached house in Neram Road has been estimated to be worth between $5.7 million and $7.8 million.

Straits Times / 03 Sep 2020 State Courts apologise to man jailed two extra days due to officer's error Lorry driver in case of swerving into cyclist had paid fine, but system not updated.

Straits Times / 03 Sep 2020 Doctor involved in HIV data leak struck off medical register Ler Teck Siang was sentenced to a two-year jail term for abetting his American former partner to commit cheating and for providing false information to the police and MOH.

Singapore Law Watch / 03 Sep 2020 ADV: TechLaw.Fest 2020: 28 September – 2 October Don’t Just Image The Future; Live It! Check out this year’s programme and register your complimentary ticket.

Straits Times / 03 Sep 2020 Govt looking at simpler liquidation process for pandemic-hit firms Move aimed at helping people behind these businesses avoid financial damage in the long run.

Business Times / 03 Sep 2020 Directors should disclose intent on rights issue: CGAC Directors of listed companies should disclose whether or not they intend to subscribe to a rights issue by their company, the Corporate Governance Advisory Committee (CGAC) said on Wednesday.

Straits Times / 02 Sep 2020 Man cleared of molesting woman in his home A 45-year-old man originally sentenced to five years' jail and six strokes of the cane for molesting a married woman he invited to his home was acquitted yesterday, after his appeal to the High Court.

Business Times / 02 Sep 2020 Bellagraph, Hin Leong sagas show weak spot in exempt private companies There is scope for the EPC criteria to be reviewed to take into consideration a company's size as well as its business dealings and systemic importance.

TODAY / 02 Sep 2020 Vigorous debate on foreign manpower policy sees Josephine Teo urging MPs not to ‘miss the woods for the trees’ The country’s management of imported labour goes beyond slowing down the growth of work pass holders, and also requires tilting the balance in the favour of Singaporeans: Josephine Teo

Straits Times / 01 Sep 2020 OCBC succeeds in bid to put KS Energy and key unit under judicial management Kris Taenar Wiluan, former chairman and chief executive of KS Energy and KS Drilling, is facing 112 charges for alleged market rigging and false trading.

Straits Times / 01 Sep 2020 Acquittal of 2 men in child trafficking case upheld While the prosecution tried to make the case that the men were "wilfully blind", Justice Chua found that the facts they presented were "neutral", noting that he was not persuaded that the accused knew at least one of the...

Singapore Law Watch / 01 Sep 2020 ADV: Adjunct Research Position at the NUS Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law Join us on a journey towards excellence in teaching and research!

Straits Times / 01 Sep 2020 PM Lee to take witness stand in Oct defamation trial against blogger The hearing, which is set to take place from Oct 6 to 9, was confirmed at a pre-trial conference with Justice Aedit Abdullah yesterday.

Straits Times / 01 Sep 2020 Call to raise salary bar for foreigners in two industries Labour MP Patrick Tay singles out infocomm technology and professional services sectors. Professional services include law, accountancy and consultancy.

Business Times / 31 Aug 2020 Judicial manager PwC suing OK Lim and his 2 children for US$3.5b The judicial manager for insolvent oil trader Hin Leong Trading is suing patriarch Lim Oon Kuin and his two children for US$3.5 billion, alleging that each of them breached their fiduciary duties as directors and engaged in fraudulent...

Straits Times / 31 Aug 2020 Joint effort, tech in prosecuting white-collar crimes: AGC Public prosecutor partners law enforcement, uses latest tech to find evidence in complex cases.

Straits Times / 31 Aug 2020 Keeping remand numbers in check with e-tagging and reduced bail Reviewing remand numbers, tracking remand cases and considering moves to offer bail to more, instead of keeping accused persons in remand.

Straits Times / 31 Aug 2020 Apex court rulings in 3 drug trafficking appeals clarify key issues Three recent drug trafficking appeal cases, which all led to acquittals before the apex court, have clarified key issues in these laws.

Straits Times / 30 Aug 2020 Keppel Corp prepared to support KrisEnergy's final restructuring proposal Keppel Corporation, which owns a 40 per cent stake in upstream oil and gas company KrisEnergy, on Sunday (Aug 30) said it is prepared to support the final restructuring proposal of the debt-hit firm.

Straits Times / 29 Aug 2020 Doc in HIV data-leak case loses appeal against drug conviction 15-month jail term upheld; sentence to start after he serves current 2-year term.

TODAY / 29 Aug 2020 High Court allows AHTC to add new claims against WP members but rejects some applications that may affect judgement The High Court has allowed the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) to make some amendments to its claims against Workers’ Party (WP) members for losses it suffered while under their management.

Business Times / 29 Aug 2020 KS Energy says rigs in 'no jeopardy', even as OCBC seeks judicial management for firm OCBC has filed applications with the High Court of Singapore to place KS Energy and its principal subsidiary, KS Drilling, under judicial management, although the troubled offshore and marine group is suggesting an alternative solution.

TODAY / 29 Aug 2020 Making divorces in Singapore less acrimonious The author says divorcing couples should consider mediating issues such as custody and maintenance before going to court to file a writ of divorce.

Straits Times / 28 Aug 2020 High Court stresses duty to disclose witness statements Prosecution shouldn't withhold them from defence, even if relevance is in doubt: Judge

Straits Times / 28 Aug 2020 Man who lied in PR application fails in appeal against jail term More than two decades ago, a Pakistani national applying to be a permanent resident here lied to the authorities that his highest academic qualification was an arts degree from the University of Punjab.

Straits Times / 28 Aug 2020 Tributes pour in for law icon Harry Elias, who dies at age 83 Founding chairman of Criminal Legal Aid Scheme lauded for his work and character.

Straits Times / 28 Aug 2020 Teacher who took drugs sentenced to 9 months' jail A Briton who had taught in Singapore for about 30 years was sentenced to nine months' jail yesterday after he pleaded guilty to consuming drugs.

Straits Times / 27 Aug 2020 Cancer-stricken woman gets fine instead of one week's jail Judicial mercy granted to mother convicted of contempt of court in divorce-related case.

Straits Times / 27 Aug 2020 S'pore body clears merger of S. Korean shipbuilders The proposed merger between Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has been cleared by the competition watchdog.

Business Times / 27 Aug 2020 Cross-border data protection needs less formal, bottom-up approach The report of the Asian Business Law Institute (ABLI) identifies areas for convergence between the data-transfer frameworks of 14 Asia-Pacific jurisdictions and puts forward policy considerations and solutions to improve the situation in...

Singapore Law Watch / 27 Aug 2020 ADV: TechLaw.Fest 2020: Complimentary Tickets Register for your complimentary space at the world's premier legal tech conference.

Business Times / 27 Aug 2020 A legislative lifeline for distressed firms even beyond the pandemic The legislative overhaul sought to create a healthy ecosystem for troubled firms and nervous creditors to rehabilitate debt as opposed to rushing down the least resistant path of winding up.

Straits Times / 26 Aug 2020 CJ to new lawyers: Be creative to gain competitive edge 528 applicants called to the Bar; first time annual ceremony is being held remotely.

TODAY / 26 Aug 2020 Chief Justice urges new lawyers to do pro bono work, as pandemic reduces lower-income groups’ access to justice Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said that new lawyers will have to be adept at arguing their cases remotely.

TODAY / 26 Aug 2020 22-year-old who trafficked cannabis gets 27 years’ jail, caning after prosecution lowers capital charge Muhammad Shahrukh Khan Mohamed Rosli pleaded guilty to reduced charges of trafficking and possessing at least 499.99g of cannabis.

Business Times / 26 Aug 2020 Ex-honestbee staff in separate entity seeking unpaid wages These ex-employees said that in November last year, they were asked to resign from honestbee and sign a new employment contract under Fundeology, with their job scopes remaining unchanged.

Business Times / 26 Aug 2020 Sulphur regulation challenges The maritime industry's transition to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) 0.50 per cent sulphur in fuel limit, that came into force on Jan 1, "has not been without problems".

Business Times / 25 Aug 2020 Trek 2000 founder fined over interested party transactions He has nine other charges outstanding.

Straits Times / 25 Aug 2020 CGH cancer court case: Hospital says delay in diagnosis had little impact on outcome It argues course of disease would have been same if patient was diagnosed a few months earlier.

Business Times / 25 Aug 2020 Government open to ideas, ready for tough choices: Halimah The opening of Parliament follows the July 10 General Election, in which the ruling People's Action Party took 61.24 per cent of the valid vote, and the opposition Workers' Party won a historic 10 seats.

Singapore Law Watch / 25 Aug 2020 ADV: SAL Annual Review: Revenue and Tax Law Mr Tan Kay Kheng, Head of Tax at WongPartnership LLP, will provide a review of the judgements delivered by the High Court in the year in review.

Straits Times / 25 Aug 2020 Yishun death: Attacker, stepfather found guilty; sentencing on Oct 5 24-year-old guilty of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, abetted by 58-year-old.

Business Times / 25 Aug 2020 The MAS' prescription for bifocal vision Recently, the MAS has had a lot to say on AML.

Straits Times / 24 Aug 2020 SGX doing the right things, and doing them right The Singapore Exchange is launching Asia's first international real estate investment trust futures today.

Business Times / 24 Aug 2020 Sembcorp Marine shareholders must now decide on rights takeup They have to consider 3 options: do nothing; sell their rights; or subscribe to the issue.