SINGAPORE: Associate Professor Ben Leong, a National University of Singapore (NUS) academic, announced on Sunday (Feb 9) that he will be leading a new non-governmental organisation (NGO) called Lionheart Advocates, which aims to support people facing what he describes as "frivolous lawsuits".
The NGO, which has not been fully set up, has already begun disbursing funds.
The initiative comes amid heightened scrutiny over legal claims that may be filed to pressure or intimidate defendants.
In a Facebook post, Assoc Prof Leong said the NGO has raised around S$700,000 (US$517,000) to help people targeted by legal actions deemed to be without merit. He credited Senior Counsel Thio Shen Yi and his legal team for partnering with Lionheart Advocates in this effort.
"Shen Yi and I both believe in our legal system. We will not stand idly by when unscrupulous individuals try to abuse the legal system to make money out of innocent victims," wrote Assoc Prof Leong, who will become the president of Lionheart Advocates.
Assoc Prof Leong is himself the subject of a lawsuit from Iris Koh, founder of the anti-vaccine group Healing the Divide, he confirmed on Sunday.
"I am still waiting for Raymond Ng to sue. I met with my lawyers last week and everything is taken care of," said Assoc Prof Leong.
The setting up of Lionheart Advocates aligns with recent efforts by the government to curb the abuse of court processes. On Nov 13 last year, parliament passed amendments to the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act (AOJPA) to explicitly state that the abuse of court proceedings can amount to contempt of court.
The Ministry of Law, responding in November to media queries about Assoc Prof Leong’s legal case, noted that Singapore’s legal system has safeguards in place to prevent baseless claims meant to vex and oppress the defendant to extort a settlement.
Minister of State for Law Murali Pillai said during a parliamentary debate on the amendments that a trend of such cases has been observed in Singapore and other countries, adding that the impact of egregious abuse of process can be very serious, and can erode trust in the justice system over time.
In response to queries from CNA, Assoc Prof Leong said that most of the S$700,000 came from one of his ex-students in the form of 5 BTC (bitcoin).
He detailed delays in cashing out a large amount of cryptocurrency due to Singapore's strict anti-money laundering laws.
"It turns out I had a lot of supporters who offered money. In addition to the 5 BTC," said Assoc Prof Leong.
"When the BTC was first pledged to us, it was worth ~$660K. The delay in cashing out the money has actually been a blessing because the total value has since increased. In the long term, we are not planning to hold crypto. Our NGO will only be working with fiat."
As of Sunday, one BTC is worth S$131,400.
Assoc Prof Leong added that the money is disbursed to law firms acting on behalf of those facing lawsuits. Two firms are currently working with the NGO, with one of them, TSMP Law Corporation, providing pro bono services.
Assoc Prof Leong declined to disclose other team members involved in Lionheart Advocates, citing concerns that they might be subject to online harassment.
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The NGO, which has not been fully set up, has already begun disbursing funds.
The initiative comes amid heightened scrutiny over legal claims that may be filed to pressure or intimidate defendants.
In a Facebook post, Assoc Prof Leong said the NGO has raised around S$700,000 (US$517,000) to help people targeted by legal actions deemed to be without merit. He credited Senior Counsel Thio Shen Yi and his legal team for partnering with Lionheart Advocates in this effort.
"Shen Yi and I both believe in our legal system. We will not stand idly by when unscrupulous individuals try to abuse the legal system to make money out of innocent victims," wrote Assoc Prof Leong, who will become the president of Lionheart Advocates.
Assoc Prof Leong is himself the subject of a lawsuit from Iris Koh, founder of the anti-vaccine group Healing the Divide, he confirmed on Sunday.
"I am still waiting for Raymond Ng to sue. I met with my lawyers last week and everything is taken care of," said Assoc Prof Leong.
Related:
GROWING CONCERNS OVER "LAWFARE"
The setting up of Lionheart Advocates aligns with recent efforts by the government to curb the abuse of court processes. On Nov 13 last year, parliament passed amendments to the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act (AOJPA) to explicitly state that the abuse of court proceedings can amount to contempt of court.
The Ministry of Law, responding in November to media queries about Assoc Prof Leong’s legal case, noted that Singapore’s legal system has safeguards in place to prevent baseless claims meant to vex and oppress the defendant to extort a settlement.
Minister of State for Law Murali Pillai said during a parliamentary debate on the amendments that a trend of such cases has been observed in Singapore and other countries, adding that the impact of egregious abuse of process can be very serious, and can erode trust in the justice system over time.
BITCOIN DONATION
In response to queries from CNA, Assoc Prof Leong said that most of the S$700,000 came from one of his ex-students in the form of 5 BTC (bitcoin).
He detailed delays in cashing out a large amount of cryptocurrency due to Singapore's strict anti-money laundering laws.
"It turns out I had a lot of supporters who offered money. In addition to the 5 BTC," said Assoc Prof Leong.
"When the BTC was first pledged to us, it was worth ~$660K. The delay in cashing out the money has actually been a blessing because the total value has since increased. In the long term, we are not planning to hold crypto. Our NGO will only be working with fiat."
As of Sunday, one BTC is worth S$131,400.
Assoc Prof Leong added that the money is disbursed to law firms acting on behalf of those facing lawsuits. Two firms are currently working with the NGO, with one of them, TSMP Law Corporation, providing pro bono services.
Assoc Prof Leong declined to disclose other team members involved in Lionheart Advocates, citing concerns that they might be subject to online harassment.
Continue reading...