Lim Tean’s bailor, Leong Sze Hian, to forfeit entire $45,000 bail following lawyer’s abscondment

SINGAPORE – Leong Sze Hian, who had posted bail for lawyer Lim Tean, will forfeit the entire bail amount of $45,000, a district court ordered on Sept 17.

Lim, 61, had failed to surrender at the State Courts on Aug 3 to begin his jail term for practising law without a valid certificate, and an arrest warrant was issued against him on the same day.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong said Leong, 72, fell far short of the standards expected from a bailor, whose responsibilities included monitoring Lim’s movements, reminding Lim of his obligations, and taking proactive steps to secure Lim’s attendance in court.

Lim was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police on Aug 6 and deported to Singapore on Aug 11.

The prosecutor said that text messages showed Leong failed to keep in contact with Lim daily between July 1 and Aug 3.

Leong and Lim’s last contact was on Aug 2, a day before he was due to surrender at the State Courts.

Neither did Leong remind Lim of his obligation to surrender or even ascertain Lim’s whereabouts in the days leading up to Aug 3, Wong said.

Leong also failed to contact Lim on Aug 3 and had only done so after being contacted by the case investigation officer.

The prosecutor said that while the pair had some discussions regarding an intended statement to be published by Lim on Aug 3, their discussions did not demonstrate that Leong had taken the necessary steps to ensure Lim would surrender as required.

Lim 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 by a district judge in February 2025.

He later filed an appeal in the High Court against his conviction and sentence. Prosecutors also filed an appeal for a stiffer sentence of between five and eight months’ jail.

In February 2026, the High Court judge allowed the prosecution’s appeal and increased Lim’s jail sentence to three months and a week.

Separately, the Law Society of Singapore had on Jan 23 called for Lim to be struck off the rolls in a disciplinary case over his handling of a $30,000 cheque that was meant for his client.

Lim argued for a “very small fine” to be imposed on him instead by the Court of Three Judges.