Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam charged with breaching gag order in case of doctor acquitted of molestation
The State Courts in Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Calvin Oh)
SINGAPORE: Veteran lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, 46, was on Friday (Apr 22) charged with two counts of breaching a gag order in the case of a doctor who was later acquitted of molestation.
Thuraisingam, the managing partner of Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, led the team of lawyers for the defendant in that case, Dr Yeo Sow Nam.
He was charged with two counts of publishing transcripts of the court proceedings that contained unredacted information likely to lead to the identification of the complainant, according to charge sheets.
He allegedly did so by instructing his associate in the firm, Johannes Hadi, to distribute these transcripts to the press in March and August last year.
Hadi, 31, is accused of distributing the transcripts on Mar 16 and Aug 11, 2021. He also faces two charges of breaching the gag order.
The punishment for this offence is imprisonment for up to a year, a fine of up to S$5,000 or both.
Both accused will return to court for a pre-trial conference on May 20.
Dr Yeo, an anaesthetist and director of a clinic at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, was on Aug 16, 2021 acquitted of all counts of molesting a woman after she admitted at trial that she was lying.
He had been charged with four counts of outraging the 32-year-old woman's modesty at the hospital on Oct 9, 2017.
The prosecutors had said they decided to withdraw the charges after considering the evidence as well as the defence lawyers' representations.
Dr Yeo's lawyers - Thuraisingam, Hadi and Mr Chooi Jing Yen - had originally wanted the woman to be named and the gag order on her identity to be lifted.
They subsequently withdrew their application due to legal reasons, but stated that they would take up the case again if she is charged with giving false evidence.
On Aug 31, 2021, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said it would not be taking action against the woman.
