Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Deepavali falls on 2 Nov; 4 Nov not public holiday

Deepavali falls on 2 Nov; 4 Nov not public holiday

POSTED: 10 Apr 2013 1:49 PM

Deepavali will fall on 2 November instead of 3 November, as advised by The Hindu Advisory Board.

SINGAPORE: Deepavali this year will now be on 2 November.

The Hindu Advisory Board (HAB) advised that Deepavali will fall on 2 November (Saturday) instead of 3 November 2013 (Sunday).

The Ministry of Manpower said since Deepavali is no longer on 3 November, 4 November will not be a public holiday.

Instead, 2 November will be gazetted as a public holiday.

MOM has also released the dates for 2014’s public holidays which is available on  MOM's website.

- CNA/ck

- wong chee tat :)

Law prof in sex-for-grades trial says former student deserved poorer grades

Law prof in sex-for-grades trial says former student deserved poorer grades

By Claire Huang
POSTED: 10 Apr 2013 4:00 PM
UPDATED: 10 Apr 2013 10:09 PM

NUS law professor embroiled in a sex-for-grades corruption case said on Wednesday that his former student deserved poorer grades than he had given her.

SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) law professor embroiled in a sex-for-grades corruption case said on Wednesday in court that his former student deserved poorer grades than he had given her.

Tey Tsun Hang faces six allegations that he obtained gifts and sex from former student, Darinne Ko, some time between May and July 2010, in return for lifting her grades.

In one of his six statements to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), Tey said Ms Ko did not deserve the 'B+' grade she was given for her test on Equity and Trust.

The 41-year-old said Ms Ko "deserved to just pass the paper".

In the statement made in the evening of 5 April 2012, Tey also said 23-year-old Ms Ko should not have gotten a "B" grade for the Personal Property Law paper.

He said in the statement Ms Ko "was a borderline failure".

The statement, which was Tey's second, was recorded by CPIB officer Wilson Khoo.

It also stated that Tey was expecting gifts from Ms Ko, which she gave willingly.

But on Wednesday during the cross-examination of Mr Khoo, Tey said these comments could not have come from him.

For example, Tey pointed to the words "borderline failure".

He said there's no such category used at NUS, so he could not have said it.

Tey is making the point that the statement is false.

On his statement that Ms Ko had informed him of her pregnancy, Tey said he could not have said something as nonsensical as that.

In the statement, he said he asked Ms Ko not to abort the child as he only had a daughter and wanted "to have another child".

Tey told Mr Khoo that he did not want his family know about the pregnancy.

However on Wednesday, Tey said he never made such a statement.

In his second statement to CPIB, Tey admitted to receiving 10 items from Ms Ko, including a Mont Blanc pen, a Tissot pocket watch and shoes.

However on Wednesday, Tey said six of the 10 items were not related to the charges.

Tey was trying to make the point that he was in a state where he admitted to receiving items that were not related to the charges.

The law professor said he was so traumatised and stressed that he told CPIB he received all 10 items from Ms Ko.

Moving on to his third statement, also recorded by Mr Khoo, Tey pointed out that it did not make sense for him to confess to receiving items from two assistant registrars of the Supreme Court.

He also questioned the rationale in implicating them.

The hearing has proceeded to Tey's next three statements, statements 4, 5 and 6, which were recorded by CPIB's deputy director, Teng Khee Fatt.

Earlier, CPIB officer Bay Chun How testified in court over Tey's first statement, recorded on 5 April 2012.

- CNA/ck

- wong chee tat :)























Sex-for-grades law prof "fabricated and exaggerated" some evidence says judge

Sex-for-grades law prof "fabricated and exaggerated" some evidence says judge

By Claire Huang
POSTED: 09 Apr 2013 4:13 PM

The sex-for-grades corruption trial is set to continue after the Chief District Judge said he found it hard to believe the law professor's claims that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau threatened him into confessing.

SINGAPORE – The Chief District Judge said he finds it hard to believe the law professor's claims that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) threatened him into confessing.

In deciding whether Tey Tsun Hang's six statements to the CPIB were made voluntarily or not, judge Tan Siong Thye said he is "of the view the accused had fabricated and exaggerated some of the evidence".

A key issue raised in the judge's 45-minute oral grounds for decision was why Tey did not complain about the CPIB officers to anyone.

If Tey's claims that the CPIB coerced him into making statements were true, the judge asked why Tey did not lodge a police report then.

Judge Tan said it is difficult to believe that Tey was coerced on all six occasions as he had opportunity to seek advice from his Dean from the law faculty at the National University of Singapore, as well as his fellow law professors.

He pointed out that there is no evidence that Tey had told the Alexandra Hospital medical team of the harsh CPIB treatment, so that the doctors could have taken some form of action.

Given that Tey was a former district judge, a former state counsel and a law professor, the judge said the accused should have known what he could have done.

The judge added that if Tey's claims were true, one would expect him to be subjected to the same harsh treatment when he made the cautioned statement, which listed the allegations against the CPIB.

He added that if the allegations were true, the CPIB officers would have recorded Tey's statement on 9 April 2012, when he went to the CPIB headquarters after leaving the hospital.

Instead, the judge pointed out that Tey was told to go back as he said he was not feeling well.

As for the alleged threats to arrest his wife, the judge said even if they were true, they were empty threats, simply because Tey's wife was overseas at that time and such arrests were not under CPIB's jurisdiction.

The other key issue relates to Tey's claims that he was on psychoactive medication during the period when he recorded the six statements.

Judge Tan said despite Tey being on medication, he could still recall "a tremendous amount" of detail of what took place.

The judge said the medication did not appear to affect Tey's mind as he had claimed.

As for Tey's claims that he was badgered, the judge said persistent questioning is part of essential interrogation and some discomfort is to be expected.

In this case, the judge said there is no evidence there was prolonged and harsh badgering which could result in oppression.

The judge added that Tey had three accounts of the allegations and the "shifting defence makes his case less likely to be believed".

Now that the CPIB statements are admitted, the main corruption trial will continue.

Tey, 41, faces allegations of corruptly obtaining gifts and sex from his former student, 23-year-old Darinne Ko, in return for lifting her grades sometime between May and July 2010.

- CNA/ck

- wong chee tat :)

Law prof in sex-for-grades trial was "inventing evidence": prosecution

Law prof in sex-for-grades trial was "inventing evidence": prosecution

By Claire Huang
POSTED: 08 Apr 2013 5:29 PM
UPDATED: 08 Apr 2013 9:32 PM

The law professor defending himself in the sex-for-grades corruption trial "was clearly inventing evidence as he went along". The prosecution said this in its oral submissions on Monday in the "trial-within-trial" hearing.

SINGAPORE: The law professor in the sex-for-grades corruption trial "was clearly inventing evidence as he went along".

The prosecution said this in its oral submissions on Monday in the "trial-within-trial" hearing.

On Monday, the prosecutor Andre Jumabhoy told the court that Tey Tsun Hang had made various allegations of threat and inducement by three CPIB officers - Deputy Director Teng Khee Fatt, Officer Bay Chun How and Officer Wilson Khoo.

Tey, 41, alleged that CPIB officers who recorded his six statements had threatened him and hurled expletives at him.

He also said at that time, he was suffering from acute stress disorder.

The chief district judge will decide on Tuesday if Tey was coerced into giving statements to the authorities.

This comes after a 15-day hearing, of which 10 were devoted to the admissibility of Tey’s statements to the CPIB.

Mr Jumabhoy said Tey put one set of allegations to the prosecution witnesses, including the three officers, but came up with a different set of allegations when he testified.

Tey also failed to ask the CPIB officers on the later allegations when he testified.

Mr Jumabhoy said Tey "could not offer any proper explanation for why he had failed to put these new allegations to the prosecution witnesses".

Tey's lawyer, Peter Low, pointed out that Tey's psychiatrist, Dr Michael Yong, had taken the stand to testify that he was neither putting up a show nor lying.

Senior Counsel Low then added that not every inconsistency was material to the case, that they were peripheral.

The judge then raised two key issues -- Tey did not disclose his allegations of abuse to anyone.

"What is absent before us is that he didn't disclose this to anyone. He didn't complain. How is that so?" said the chief district judge.

He pointed out that Tey, being a professor of law and former district judge, could have told his colleagues about the abuse and he voluntarily returned to the CPIB to give statements even after apparently being subjected to harsh treatment by the officers.

Senior Counsel Low said Tey did list his allegations in one of his last statements to the authority, and as for his return to the CPIB, he countered that the officers were eager to have his client back for questioning.

If the judge finds Tey's CPIB statements cannot be relied upon, the prosecution will not be able to ask questions relating to them in the main corruption trial.

If the statements are admitted in court, the prosecution will be able to pose questions regarding those statements in the main trial.

Tey faces six allegations that he corruptly obtained gifts and sex from his former student, Darinne Ko, in return for giving her better grades between May and July 2010.

- CNA/xq

- wong chee tat :)

Judge to decide if Tey Tsun Hang was coerced into giving statements

Judge to decide if Tey Tsun Hang was coerced into giving statements

POSTED: 05 Apr 2013 7:23 PM

SINGAPORE: The chief district judge will decide on Monday if the law professor accused of corruption in the sex-for-grades trial was coerced into giving statements to the authorities.

Tey Tsun Hang, 41, faces six counts of corruptly obtaining gifts and sex from his former student, 23-year-old Darinne Ko, between May and July 2010, in return for giving her better grades.

Tey has maintained throughout that he was coerced into making confessions to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

He said his six CPIB statements were made under duress.

Earlier this week, he testified that the officers threatened him, hurled expletives and intimidated him into confessing.

The prosecution's case is that Tey is "making things up" along the way.

Lead prosecutor Andre Jumabhoy also tried to prove Tey pretended to suffer from acute stress disorder.

On Monday, Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye will hear oral submissions on this issue and decide if Tey's statements were made involuntarily.

The main trial will begin after that, depending on his ruling.

- CNA/xq

- wong chee tat :)


Tey Tsun Hang could have faked mental condition: prosecution

Tey Tsun Hang could have faked mental condition: prosecution
By Claire Huang
POSTED: 04 Apr 2013 1:55 PM
UPDATED: 04 Apr 2013 11:50 PM

The prosecution on Thursday tried to prove that Tey Tsun Hang feigned an acute stress disorder.

SINGAPORE: The prosecution on Thursday tried to prove that Tey Tsun Hang, the law professor at the centre of a sex-for-grades trial, feigned an acute stress disorder.

Tey, 41, is defending himself against six counts of corruptly obtaining gratification in the form of gifts and sex from his then-student Darinne Ko Wen Hui, 23, between May and July 2010 in return for lifting her grades.

The former district judge is contesting the voluntariness of his six statements to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), maintaining that the confessions were extracted from him under duress.

The court will decide if Tey’s statements are admissible at the end of the “trial within a trial”. The main corruption trial will then take place thereafter.

Dr Michael Yong, Tey’s psychiatrist from Alexandra Hospital, said that Tey could have feigned his mental condition. He also said that his diagnosis would be inaccurate if false information was provided to him during his treatment of Tey.

Lead prosecutor Andre Jumabhoy on Thursday said that officers from CPIB had at no stage threatened or badgered Tey into confessing, leading Tey to disagree.

The prosecution also objected to the admission of some of Tey's cautioned statements, saying that the documents might prejudice the court as they "impinge on the contents" of his CPIB statements.

A cautioned statement is one which is given by an accused upon being charged with an offence.

Mr Jumabhoy said Tey was "making a mockery of the process" and could "well be running rings around (the legal) system," given that Tey was a former district judge and lawyer.

However the judge disagreed, saying that it was Tey’s entitlement under the law and that is was not an issue.

- CNA/sf/jc

- wong chee tat :)


Chinese yuan hits record high on capital inflows

Chinese yuan hits record high on capital inflows

The Chinese yuan closed at a record high on Wednesday as authorities continue to nudge the unit higher to encourage capital inflows, analysts said.

SHANGHAI - The Chinese yuan closed at a record high on Wednesday as authorities continue to nudge the unit higher to encourage capital inflows, analysts said.

The yuan closed at 6.1939 to the dollar, stronger than the key 6.2 level and its best close since China launched its modern foreign exchange market in 1994, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

The Chinese currency also touched a record intra-day high of 6.1923 yuan.

China has faced pressure from the United States and other countries to allow the yuan to appreciate, claiming its value is artificially low.

Analysts said a stronger yuan would help attract further inflows of foreign capital, which picked up as China's economy has recovered, prompting authorities to keep the value high.

"Authorities have been worrying about capital inflows and outflows, fearing overseas capital that flew in earlier on optimism over the Chinese economy might leave the country," said Jiang Shu, an analyst at Industrial Bank.

"In the near term the currency may continue to appreciate," he added.

Recent data has indicated the pick-up in the world's second biggest economy remains fragile. China recorded a rare trade deficit of US$880 million in March, figures showed Wednesday.

The US Treasury last November stopped short of labelling China a currency manipulator, noting gains in the value of the yuan, but said the currency remains "significantly undervalued".

- AFP/ir

- wong chee tat :)

Clamav 0.97.7

Monday, 08 April 2013
This maintenance release updates ClamAV scanning engine and provides the following improvements:
  • Several potential security bugs have been fixed





- wong chee tat :)

Om Mani Padme Hum

Om Mani Padme Hum!


- wong chee tat :)