The Law Society of Singapore (LawSoc) has asked the Supreme Court to disbar fugitive lawyer Charles Yeo, who used to be the chairman of the opposition Reform Party. If successful, this means Yeo will be permanently banned from practising law.
The case was heard on Thursday (September 11) before the Court of Three Judges, the highest disciplinary body for lawyers, reported Channel News Asia.
Yeo, who ran away from Singapore in 2022 while facing criminal charges, did not show up in court and was not represented by any lawyer. The hearing went on without him.
LawSoc’s lawyer, Danny Ong, told Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Justices Tay Yong Kwang and Steven Chong that Yeo ignored all court notices and emails sent to him. Yeo, 35, is still out on bail in the United Kingdom while facing legal proceedings there.
Although Yeo started practising in 2017, his last practising certificate expired on Mar 31, 2023.
Five disciplinary cases
LawSoc brought five disciplinary applications against Yeo:
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Migrant workers’ cases: Three involved workplace injury claims made by migrant workers. Yeo failed to check if the instructions he received actually came from the workers themselves or if the documents were properly signed by them. Because of this, compensation money was wrongly given to a third party without the workers’ consent in two of the cases.
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Death row inmates: Yeo represented two inmates on death row. After their criminal review was dismissed, he filed another application with arguments that had already been rejected.
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Law firm finances: At Whitefield Law Corporation, where Yeo was a director, client funds were wrongly deposited into the office account instead of the client’s account, and proper records were not kept.
On top of these, Mr Ong also highlighted that in 2022, Yeo used his Instagram account to make verbal attacks against the judiciary and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
LawSoc argued that Yeo showed a “serious character defect,” abused his privileges as a lawyer, and mishandled client money. They said there was “no other appropriate sanction” except to strike him off.
The Court of Three Judges has reserved its judgment and will announce the decision later.
Still facing criminal charges
Besides these disciplinary matters, Yeo is also facing six criminal charges in Singapore, with more expected. A warrant of arrest review is set for September 23.
The current charges are:
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One count of uttering words with the intent to wound religious feelings
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Two counts of attempting to do the same
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Three counts of abusive or insulting communication towards a public servant under the Protection from Harassment Act
Back in July 2022, Yeo applied to travel to Vietnam for work and was allowed to do so. But he never returned to Singapore. Instead, on Jul 30, 2022, he posted on Instagram that he was seeking political asylum in the UK, claiming the charges against him were politically motivated.
A warrant of arrest was issued in August 2022. In November 2024, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that Singapore had requested Yeo’s extradition from the UK.
Yeo was arrested in London on November 4, 2024, and extradition proceedings are still ongoing.
