(SEAPA/IFEX) – On top of his financial bankruptcy and conviction for defamation, Singapore opposition leader Chee Soon Juan is now being charged with contempt of court for criticizing the country’s judicial system as unfair and biased. In a statement issued on 2 March 2006, Chee, who is secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), said […]
(SEAPA/IFEX) – On top of his financial bankruptcy and conviction for defamation, Singapore opposition leader Chee Soon Juan is now being charged with contempt of court for criticizing the country’s judicial system as unfair and biased.
In a statement issued on 2 March 2006, Chee, who is secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), said he may have to go to jail if found guilty of contempt of court.
On 10 February, Chee was declared bankrupt by Singapore’s High Court for failing to pay S$500,000 (approx. US$306,200) in damages to two former Singaporean prime ministers, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong. In January 2005, he lost a three-year legal fight against defamation suits brought by Lee and Goh for questioning the government’s use of public funds.
Singapore is notorious for wielding criminal and civil defamation laws to silence its critics. A conviction for defamation will likely lead to bankruptcy and also disqualification from participation in elections and public office.
Reuters news agency in its 1 March report quoted the attorney-general as saying that Chee had acted in contempt of court during his bankruptcy petition on 10 February when he refused to answer the court’s questions and proceeded to read his statement.
The attorney-general also said that Chee had scandalised the judiciary when he “imputed that he and other opposition politicians had suffered grave injustice because the Singapore Judiciary was not independent and compromised the law in order to gain favour with the Government.”
