Two Singaporean men were charged in court on Saturday, 8 August, for allegedly conspiring to make arrangements for lawyer and opposition politician Lim Tean to leave Singapore illegally for Malaysia.
The men are 37-year-old Sulaiman Muhammad Firdaus and 44-year-old Mohammad Adam Abd Karim.
Each faces one charge of engaging in a conspiracy to carry out an act that has a tendency to defeat the course of justice, while knowing that the act was likely to do so.
The Alleged Arrangements Were Made on 4 August
According to court documents, arrangements were allegedly made for Lim to leave Singapore on 4 August.
CNA reported that court documents allege that Adam ultimately made arrangements for Lim to leave Singapore illegally.
However, the documents did not state how Lim left Singapore or entered Malaysia.
The alleged arrangements came one day after Lim was supposed to surrender at the State Courts to begin serving a jail term.
The cases involving Adam and Sulaiman are scheduled to return to court on 14 August.
If convicted of the offence, each man can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.
The Singapore Police Force said the authorities take a firm stance against people who help others evade justice and that such offenders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Lim Tean Had Failed to Surrender on 3 August
Lim, 61, was originally ordered to surrender at noon on 20 July to begin serving his jail sentence.
However, the Court of Appeal approved his request on 17 July to defer the sentence, and he was instead ordered to surrender at noon on 3 August.
He did not turn up.
His lawyer, Revi Shanker, previously told The Straits Times that Lim had been messaging him on the morning he was supposed to surrender but subsequently became uncontactable. Lim’s bailor was also unable to reach him.
A warrant of arrest was subsequently issued against Lim.
Lim Was Arrested in Johor Bahru on 6 August
Three days after he failed to surrender, Lim was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police in Johor Bahru on 6 August.
The Singapore Police Force said it was working closely with the Malaysian authorities to secure his return to Singapore.
Lim was due to begin serving a jail term of three months and one week for practising law without a valid practising certificate.
He had been convicted in July 2024 of three charges under the Legal Profession Act.
The offences involved Lim attending court hearings and submitting documents on 32 occasions between 1 April and 9 June 2021 when he did not have a valid practising certificate.
He was initially sentenced in February 2025 to six weeks’ jail and fined S$1,000.
Lim appealed against his conviction and sentence, while the prosecution sought a heavier punishment.
In February 2026, the High Court dismissed Lim’s appeal and allowed the prosecution’s appeal, increasing his jail term to three months and one week.
