Cheating trainee lawyers: Dishonesty unacceptable

[The_King]

SINGAPORE - Dishonesty is unacceptable for lawyers and it is important they have a very high standard of conduct, said Law Minister K. Shanmugam.

Commenting on media reports of trainee lawyers who cheated in the Bar examination, the minister said that honesty is important for lawyers as they have to act in the best interest of clients.

He said: "Lawyers are often fiduciaries... (which means) you stand in a position of trust vis-a-vis your client.

"Honesty, good behaviour, very high standard of conduct. (These are) extremely important, and dishonesty is an absolute no-no."

The minister was speaking to the media on Saturday morning (April 30), on the sidelines of a fund-raising event in Changi by runners' club The Thaarumaaru Runners

It was reported earlier this month that a total of 11 trainee lawyers had cheated in their 2020 Bar examinations.

 

Six of them had their admission to the Bar delayed, after the Attorney-General objected to their applications for admission.

 

High Court Judge Choo Han Teck had issued his grounds of decision on April 18, redacting the names of the applicants in the hope that they will not be prejudiced in the long run, in the spirit of second chances.

But he reversed his decision on April 27 following an application by the Attorney-General that was supported by the Law Society.

Asked for his comments on the matter on Saturday, Mr Shanmugam said he wanted to be careful with his comments as the cases are still pending in court.

 

He added that there will also be questions on the matter in Parliament.

"But I think I can say dishonesty is completely unacceptable," he said.

"The remarks by the courts so far and the various involved parties, the Sile (Singapore Institute of Legal Education), as well as the AGC (Attorney-General's Chambers), as well as the Law Society, have all made that quite clear. It's unacceptable, period. And one can say much more, but I want to be careful."

 

Justice Choo said he initially believed that redacting their names would let them go about the process of recovery quietly and uneventfully, but was now of the view that they should face the publicity rather than hide from it.

The six are: Ms Monisha Devaraj, Mr Kushal Atul Shah, Mr Sreeraam Ravenderan, Ms Lynn Kuek Yi Ting, Mr Matthew Chow Jun Feng and Mr Lionel Wong Choong Yoong.

Five of them - Ms Monisha, Mr Shah, Mr Sreeraam, Mr Chow and Mr Wong - had shared answers in six papers through WhatsApp.

They admitted their conduct as soon as the Sile, which conducts the exam and the course leading to the exam, began its inquiry.

But the sixth, Ms Kuek, had denied cheating.

She was later found to have colluded with another candidate and cheated in three papers.

The five were required to retake the six papers, while Ms Kuek had to retake the entire course.

The five had their applications adjourned for six months, while Ms Kuek, who apologised for her conduct two days before the admission hearing, had hers adjourned for a year.

At the event on Saturday, Mr Shanmugam ran 1.65km with others from The Thaarumaaru Runners in a fund-raising initiative for the Singapore Indian Education Trust.

The group embarked on the campaign on April 4, with 10 runners pledging to run a mile (1.6km) an hour over 26 hours in a bid to raise $30,000 in 30 days.

It has since raised more than $60,000, which will be used to fund the education of tertiary students.

Mr Shanmugam has been known to share his exercise routines on social media.

In a recent post on April 16, the minister, 63, shared a video of himself trying a CrossFit workout, completing 55 deadlifts of 53kg weights and 45 burpees in 10 minutes.

 

In August last year, he also uploaded a video on Facebook of himself lifting 105kg of weights, which is the equivalent of 150 per cent of his body weight. He said then that his aim was to lift 120kg.

Many comments on his posts were positive, with netizens saying they were impressed and inspired.

When asked on Saturday how much weight he is now able to lift, Mr Shanmugam laughed without revealing the extent of his abilities.

"It's not a question of ego," he said.

"It's more important that one is healthy and strong, not how much you carry."

[Huat Zai]

2 hours ago, The_King said:

SINGAPORE - Dishonesty is unacceptable for lawyers and it is important they have a very high standard of conduct, said Law Minister K. Shanmugam.

 

Sorry, couldn't finish reading the rest of the article, can summarize?

 

[The_King]

9 minutes ago, Huat Zai said:

Sorry, couldn't finish reading the rest of the article, can summarize?

 

 

very simple to summarize, only those trainee Dishonest. the rest is very honest

[Huat Zai]

1 minute ago, The_King said:

 

very simple to summarize, only those trainee Dishonest. the rest is very honest

 

[The_King]

5 minutes ago, Huat Zai said:

 

the 61% sure believe. they are so wonderfool

 

 

[Huat Zai]

Just now, The_King said:

the 61% sure believe. they are so wonderfool

 

 

You have judges appointed by the ruling party, no jury, and appointed Legislature, AND they believe...

 

 

 

白莲洁焰，圣女降临，光复明宗，一统江湖！ 山河奄有中华地，日月重开大宋天。 摧富益贫。 白莲花开，明王出世，弥勒降生！！！！