Dissident lawyer faces more charges

June 5, 2008
Dissident lawyer faces more charges
By Kor Kian Beng
FORMER Singaporean lawyer Gopalan Pallichadath Nair, who was charged in court on Monday with insulting a public servant, is expected in court again this morning to face further charges. He was originally scheduled to appear in court next Monday, following a one-week remand at the Central Police Station. Police spokesman ASP Toh Boon Ngee confirmed that Nair's court mention had been brought forward. Nair's lawyer, Mr Chia Ti Lik, told The Straits Times that his client had called him yesterday at around 7pm. Said Mr Chia: 'He said the court mention had been brought forward and that he could be facing an additional charge.' Nair, 58, contested the general elections in 1988 and 1991 on Workers' Party tickets. He left Singapore in 1992 and took up United States citizenship in 2005. He returned to Singapore on May 25 to attend the court hearings last week to assess damages in a defamation suit that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had won against the Singapore Democratic Party, its secretary-general Chee Soon Juan and his sister Chee Siok Chin. Following the hearings, Nair wrote a blog post that described the judge, Justice Belinda Ang, in insulting terms. He also copied the post and e-mailed it to the Attorney-General and Solicitor-General.