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Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Bankrupts Jailed for Illegal Travels
Two bankrupt men who travelled overseas without getting clearance from the authorities were jailed yesterday following a crackdown on people who flout bankruptcy laws.
Two bankrupt men who travelled overseas without getting clearance from the authorities were jailed yesterday following a crackdown on people who flout bankruptcy laws.
One of the men, Tan Cheng Lim, was sentenced to two months behind bars after admitting to taking 38 unauthorised overseas trips between January 2006 and last year.
Investigations revealed, however, that he made 247 voyages in all.
Most were day trips to Malaysia except for a six-day visit to South Korea in February last year.
The 62-year-old retiree, who did not have a lawyer, did not say why he was made a bankrupt in 1998 or the reasons behind his trips.
Under the law, bankrupts need to get approval to travel outside Singapore and face jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to $10,000 if they do not do so.
Last week, 10 bankrupts were charged on a single day for making unauthorised overseas trips.
Two others who failed to appear had warrants issued for their arrest.
The authorities wanted to send a message to bankrupts that the Official Assignee, who administers the affairs of all bankrupts, will not tolerate anyone flouting this rule. There has been a gradual increase in the number of offenders with about 30 to 40 being prosecuted each year.
Meanwhile yesterday, another man was sentenced to 1-1/2 months for travelling to Malaysia without getting clearance from officials.
Mohamad Hussain Abdul Aziz, a 38-year-old cab driver, admitted making 20 trips in March and April this year.
A district court heard that financial difficulties forced him to rent out his four-room Jurong flat and move to Johor Baru with his wife and five daughters.
Despite living in Malaysia, Mohamad Hussain drove his children, aged between six and 15, to school in Singapore daily.
Asking for the court to impose a fine, his lawyer Remesha Chandran Pillai said: ‘My client did not commit the offences with the intention of running away or to evade responsibility but rather to try and sort out his family situation.’
District Judge Miranda Yeo, however, found that the circumstances were not exceptional enough for him to escape jail time.
Mohamad Hussain was declared a bankrupt in 2000 after his food business failed and he ended up owing more than $100,000 to several banks.
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Bankrupts Jailed for Illegal Travels
By Khushwant Singh
2 December 2008
Two bankrupt men who travelled overseas without getting clearance from the authorities were jailed yesterday following a crackdown on people who flout bankruptcy laws.
One of the men, Tan Cheng Lim, was sentenced to two months behind bars after admitting to taking 38 unauthorised overseas trips between January 2006 and last year.
Investigations revealed, however, that he made 247 voyages in all.
Most were day trips to Malaysia except for a six-day visit to South Korea in February last year.
The 62-year-old retiree, who did not have a lawyer, did not say why he was made a bankrupt in 1998 or the reasons behind his trips.
Under the law, bankrupts need to get approval to travel outside Singapore and face jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to $10,000 if they do not do so.
Last week, 10 bankrupts were charged on a single day for making unauthorised overseas trips.
Two others who failed to appear had warrants issued for their arrest.
The authorities wanted to send a message to bankrupts that the Official Assignee, who administers the affairs of all bankrupts, will not tolerate anyone flouting this rule. There has been a gradual increase in the number of offenders with about 30 to 40 being prosecuted each year.
Meanwhile yesterday, another man was sentenced to 1-1/2 months for travelling to Malaysia without getting clearance from officials.
Mohamad Hussain Abdul Aziz, a 38-year-old cab driver, admitted making 20 trips in March and April this year.
A district court heard that financial difficulties forced him to rent out his four-room Jurong flat and move to Johor Baru with his wife and five daughters.
Despite living in Malaysia, Mohamad Hussain drove his children, aged between six and 15, to school in Singapore daily.
Asking for the court to impose a fine, his lawyer Remesha Chandran Pillai said: ‘My client did not commit the offences with the intention of running away or to evade responsibility but rather to try and sort out his family situation.’
District Judge Miranda Yeo, however, found that the circumstances were not exceptional enough for him to escape jail time.
Mohamad Hussain was declared a bankrupt in 2000 after his food business failed and he ended up owing more than $100,000 to several banks.
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