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Lim Tean fails to get nod for Court of Appeal hearing, ordered to start jail term on July 20

Published July 8, 2026 at 1:15 PM UTC

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Lawyer and opposition politician Lim Tean has been ordered by the Court of Appeal to begin serving his jail term on July 20 for practising law without a valid certificate. Between April 1 and June 9, 2021, Lim attended court hearings and submitted numerous documents without a valid practising certificate. In July 2024, he was convicted of three charges under the Legal Profession Act and sentenced to six weeks' jail and a fine of $1,000. Lim appealed the conviction and sentence, while the prosecution sought a stiffer sentence of between five and eight months' jail. On February 23, 2026, the High Court allowed the prosecution's appeal, enhancing Lim's jail term to three months and a week. Lim then filed an application seeking permission to refer four questions of law to the Court of Appeal. On July 6, 2026, the Court of Appeal rejected Lim's request, stating that the questions lacked public interest and would not affect the case outcome. The court also noted that the determination of most of the questions would not have affected the outcome of Lim's case. Lim is the founder of the opposition party Peoples Voice and a co-founder of the People's Alliance for Reform, an alliance that includes Peoples Voice.