IAPL
Lawyer Charles Yeo Yao Hui, 31, who is also the former chairman of the Reform Party, failed to turn up in a district court on Monday morning (Aug 1) to represent his client in a trial involving immigration-related matters.
In a post on social media platform Instagram last Saturday, Yeo had stated that he intended to go to the United Kingdom to seek political asylum.
Yeo, who was earlier charged with unrelated offences including multiple counts of harassment and wounding the religious feeling of Christians, was given permission last month to leave Singapore for Vietnam to meet a witness linked to Monday’s trial.
He was then offered bail of $10,000, with his mother acting as the bailor.
BREAKING: ‘I did not embezzle a single cent’ – Lawyer Charles Yeo, 31, seeks political asylum in the UK to ‘vindicate his name.’
?https://t.co/yXVtgsPKUD pic.twitter.com/AN3ecYwfMl
— Wake Up Singapore (@wakeupsg) July 31, 2022
He was also allowed to leave Singapore last Wednesday and was supposed to arrive here on Saturday.
But a district court heard on Monday that he had not returned to Singapore.
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority prosecutor Syed Mubaruk Sabedeen, who is handling the trial involving Yeo’s client, told District Judge Marvin Bay that Yeo’s current whereabouts are unknown.
Deputy Superintendent Mubaruk said that Yeo claimed to be in the UK but the prosecution was unsure if this was “the truth or a myth”.
Yeo’s client, Kok Chiang Loong, 41, who is accused of offences including playing a role in a purported marriage of convenience, told Judge Bay that Yeo had promised to turn up in court on Monday.
Kok also said that he had tried to contact Yeo but the calls failed to connect and there was no dial tone.
Kok added that he tried sending Yeo text messages but received no replies.
The court heard that he managed to contact S K Kumar Law Practice, where Yeo works, but was told that he did not turn up at the office on Monday morning.
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https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lawyer-charles-yeo-political-asylum-uk-reform-party-1957966
https://learningfromthemargins.substack.com/p/accesstojustice
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/charles-yeo-political-asylum-uk-reform-party-2849466
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Yeo
https://www.8world.com/singapore/lawyer-charles-yeo-political-asylum-uk-reform-party-1875931 (CHINESE)
