(MalaysianInsider) SINGAPORE, June 2 — A former Singapore lawyer, who now has a law practice in the US, was charged in court today for insulting a judge.
Gopalan Nair, 58, an ex-Workers' Party member who is now a US citizen living in California, was arrested last Friday and charged today for "threatening, abusing or insulting a public servant" in an email he circulated and posted on his blog.
Nair had insulted Justice Belinda Ang, who presided over the defamation case brought by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew against Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leader Chee Soon Juan and his sister, Siok Chin.
Nair will be held in custody for 7 days pending further investigations, his lawyer Chia Ti Lik said. He faces a maximum fine of S$5,000 or a jail term of one year if found guilty. He is due back in court next Monday.
"We can confirm that Gopalan Nair, a US citizen, was arrested on May 31," a US embassy spokesman said, adding that "we are monitoring the case closely."
Chia said the comments Nair sent in the email strongly criticised a three-day legal hearing last week to assess damages in the defamation suit.
The court documents showed Nair's email said "judge Belinda Ang was throughout prostituting herself during the entire proceedings".
In another post on his blog on Saturday, Nair taunted authorities, saying he was in Singapore at a particular hotel, and also gave his phone number.
"I am now within your jurisdiction...What are you going to do about it?" Nair wrote.
A known critic of the Singapore establishment, he had stood in the 1991 election on the Workers' Party ticket. He had also been found guilty of contempt of court stemming from an election rally speech and made to pay S$21,000 in legal costs and fines.
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