Ex-WP member charged for insulting judge in e-mail

June 2, 2008
Ex-WP member charged for insulting judge in e-mail
By Kor Kian Beng
A FORMER Workers' Party member who is now an American citizen has been charged in court for insulting a public servant. Gopalan Pallichadath Nair, 58, was charged for using insulting words towards High Court judge Belinda Ang in an email that he was believed to have sent to the judge last week. In it, Nair accused Justice Ang of 'prostituting herself' as a judge during a three-day hearing last week to assess damages in a defamation suit that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew won against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), its secretary-general Dr Chee Soon Juan and his sister Ms Chee Siok Chin. Nair copied the same email to many people, including the Attorney-General. Nair, who gave up his Singapore citizenship in 2005, returned to Singapore last Sunday to attend the SDP court hearing. On Thursday, a day after the hearing ended, Nair made the insulting remarks against Justice Ang in a posting on his blog. The same day, he allegedly sent the email to the judge. In another posting on Saturday that stated his contact details and the hotel he was staying at, Nair challenged MM Lee: 'I am now within your jurisdiction... What are you going to do about it?' On Monday, Nair was charged under Section 13D (1) (a) of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act. This states that it is an offence for any person who in a public or private place uses any indecent, threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour towards a public servant in the execution of his duty. If convicted, Nair faces a fine of up to $5,000 or up to one year in jail. Read the full report in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.