SINGAPORE: Fugitive lawyer Charles Yeo Yao Hui has been struck off the rolls, with the Court of Three Judges saying that he had shown himself "thoroughly unfit to wear the mantle of membership in this venerable profession of law".

In a judgment published on Friday (Nov 28), the court flagged Yeo's "disgraceful online conduct" and his "penchant for assaulting the integrity and impartiality of the justice system" in deciding that his offences warranted disbarring.

Yeo absconded from Singapore in 2022 while facing criminal charges and was last known to be in the United Kingdom.

The Law Society of Singapore (LawSoc) brought five applications against him for sanctions for conduct. They included the mismanagement of money and accounting records, failure to directly communicate with three migrant workers to verify their identity and instructions as he purported to act for them in workplace injury suits, abuse of court and publications on his Instagram account that impugned the integrity of the judiciary and the Attorney-General.

Arrangements were made to allow Yeo to log into the Zoom courtroom on the day of the hearing on Sep 11, but he did not show up.

Instead, he posted on Instagram saying, among other things, that he did not plan to engage with the "kangaroo courts of Singapore" and "spit" on them.

The Court of Three Judges, comprising Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Justices of Appeal Tay Yong Kwang and Steven Chong, found that all the charges were made out and there was no suitable sanction other than striking Yeo off the roll.

"MANIFESTLY UNFIT"

Delivering the judgment, Justice Chong said Yeo's failings "went far beyond one-off lapses".

"To the contrary, the gross extent of his breaches, both in terms of the quantity of offending incidents, reflecting their systemic and repeated nature, and the quality of his misconduct, which fell far short of the rudimentary level of integrity, probity, and trustworthiness which is expected of any member of an honourable profession, unequivocally signified his serious defects of character that rendered the respondent manifestly unfit to remain an officer of the court and an advocate and solicitor in Singapore," said Justice Chong.

The court noted that it is "uncommon" for a lawyer to be found guilty of breaching all his duties like those in Yeo's charges.

Justice Chong said Yeo's "unfitness" is evidenced by his "clear inability to fulfil the essential responsibilities of a legal practitioner".

The "cumulative effect of all his ethical transgressions" paints the picture of a legal practitioner who "held a cavalier disregard" for safeguards designed to protect clients, flouted an advocate's most central duty to the court and "so consistently conducted himself on a public platform with such an unbecoming comportment as to bring disrepute" to the profession, said Justice Chong.

Yeo was admitted to the roll of advocates and solicitors in August 2016. He did not have a valid practising certificate between April 2022 and June 2022.

Around February 2022, an accountancy practice was appointed by LawSoc to inspect the books of account of Whitefield Law, where Yeo was a director.

A subsequent report identified at least 185 breaches of the Legal Profession (Solicitors' Accounts) Rules (SAR). These were for instances such as where money was withdrawn from the client account without the court's permission, or when client monies were deposited in the office account instead of the client account.

For the social media charges against Yeo, the court noted four categories with "objectionable contents".

These were: Publications which scandalised the judiciary, publications which attacked the integrity, impartiality or independence of the Attorney-General, publications amounting to sub judice contempt of court and publications making "discourteous attacks against fellow members of the Singapore Bar".

The judgment listed long paragraphs from his offending posts, which CNA will not be reproducing.

The court found that Yeo "revealed numerous character defects" which rendered him "plainly unfit to remain as a legal practitioner in Singapore".

He had a "pattern of professional dereliction and a cavalier disregard for the serious responsibility of holding clients' monies and taking due care to safeguard clients' crucial interests in the proper protection of their funds", said Justice Chong.

Yeo "simply could not be bothered to ensure that Whitefield's financial records were in order", he added.

As for the migrant worker cases, the court found that Yeo's "sheer disregard" for their interests was "utterly appalling".

Yeo's conduct in court demonstrated a "particularly severe character defect - dishonesty", said Justice Chong.

"Lastly, the respondent’s allegations and aspersions, ventilated over the public platform of Instagram, were highly dishonourable, and for them to have been made by a member of the legal profession unquestionably tended to shame and bring discredit to an honourable profession."

"His attacks on legal institutions and individual lawyers were all filled with invective and gratuitously vituperative insults using vulgar language to humiliate and degrade the targets of his vitriol," noted Justice Chong.

"There is no question that the average right-thinking member of the public would perceive such conduct to be disgraceful both to the respondent as an individual and, more significantly, to the legal profession – indeed, the very same profession whose imprimatur of legitimacy he wielded to clothe his attacks with a patina of authenticity and to masquerade as a knowledgeable 'insider' unearthing hidden truths about the domestic legal system."

Justice Chong also referenced Yeo's "total absence of remorse and contrition for his misconduct", and how he has not offered any apology to date.

Yeo declined to participate in the disciplinary tribunal proceedings, boycotting them along with the hearing by the Court of Three Judges.

"His lack of any ethical insight into his own shortcomings to conduct even the most basic of checks to protect his clients' interests is apparently lost on him," said Justice Chong.

"In light of his attitude, there is little to no chance of the respondent being rehabilitated and rectifying any of the defects of character that we have identified."

MELBOURNE: When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan again four years ago, women and girls were swiftly barred from playing sports.

For many of the country’s top female athletes, the only way to stay alive – and keep their sporting dreams alive – was to flee.

Among them was 21-year-old cricketer Firooza Amiri, who escaped to Australia with nothing but an Afghanistan team shirt she could not bring herself to destroy.

‘SPORT ALWAYS GAVE ME A VOICE’

For Firooza, cricket is more than just a game – it is a passion that has shaped her life.

The sport is also what made her a target once the Taliban seized power in 2021, when the United States withdrew troops after nearly two decades of war. It prompted a mass exodus as thousands tried to flee the country.

Firooza, who played for Afghanistan’s national team, spent weeks in hiding as the new regime hunted down female athletes.

“They were checking the houses. First thing I did, I burnt everything. All my cricket gear, my medals,” she told CNA.

“The only thing I couldn’t burn was my Afghanistan T-shirt. That means so much to me. For me, that T-shirt is something that every time I looked at it, (I thought:) I cannot give up on cricket.”

She was one of 19 Afghan women cricketers who received emergency humanitarian visas to Australia.

Today, she has made good on her promise not to give up on her sport – honing her batting skills with Dandenong Cricket Club in Melbourne.

“It’s not only about playing cricket and escaping reality. Sport always gave me a voice, and I use that voice to always say that we belong on the field,” she said.

Firooza’s determination is contagious, said the club’s assistant coach Veronica McLeod.

“She comes every week to every training, every game with an amazing positive attitude. It actually empowers the rest of the girls,” she added.

Firooza trains alongside her older sister and former national teammate, Nazifa Hamdani.

“We always share together, everything. The way she wants to be a professional cricketer. The way she is fighting for women back in Afghanistan, that always makes me proud,” Nazifa said.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

The Afghan women’s cricket team has been split since arriving in Australia, with some settling in Melbourne and others in Canberra.

Despite living 650km apart, the squad reunited for the first time this year after a training camp in India during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. The camp was funded by the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

The athletes say their dream is to be allowed to compete as a team once again.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government refuses to recognise any women’s sports teams. As a result, the ICC does not officially recognise the Afghan women’s squad. 

However, the council continues to fund the men’s team. This is despite Afghanistan’s ban on women in sport violating the ICC’s own membership rules.

“What about us? We just want the ICC to support us, to help us to come to a stage where we can represent our country and have the same opportunity as men,” Firooza said.

The ICC did not respond to CNA’s request for comment.

Australia is one of several countries refusing to play a bilateral cricket series with Afghanistan in support of the women’s team.

Professor Jacqui True from the Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW), an Australia-based research centre that promotes women’s safety and empowerment, said the sporting world cannot look away.

“International sporting bodies and governments who host international sporting tournaments have a responsibility to not legitimise the Taliban,” she added.

FIGHTING BACK THROUGH SPORT

Researchers tracking the situation in Afghanistan say hundreds of women there have vanished – and their relatives often punished – for defying Taliban orders restricting women’s freedoms.

They said sports can offer a powerful platform for change.

“Afghan women are not always victims – they’re also changemakers, as we see with our athletes,” said CEVAW research fellow Farkhondeh Akbari.

“They don’t say: ‘We play’. They say: ‘We fight’. They’re challenging the Taliban’s narrative about women’s bodies.”

After four years spent rebuilding their lives in Australia, Firooza and her sister said they will continue fighting for their sport and for other females back home.

“I feel we are like a voice for girls … we receive too many messages from girls (that) they want to be cricketers, they want to join this team and this gives us more hope to (be) fighting more for this team,” said Nazifa.

TAEKWONDO ATHLETES FINDING NEW GROUND

Cricket is not the only sport where Afghan women are rebuilding their futures.

In Melbourne, taekwondo athletes Taieba Akbari and Khadija Rezaiee are training again after losing their chance to represent Afghanistan internationally.

The pair, who earned their black belts together in Herat, western Afghanistan, said their martial arts journey has always been a form of resistance.

“With all of the challenges in Afghanistan we did 13 years (of) our lives in taekwondo. We fight against injustice to girls. We need to represent ourselves, our gender and our family,” said Taieba.

For Khadija, the sport is part of her identity. “It’s not like just taekwondo. It’s life. It’s love for me. I cannot live without taekwondo.”

The World Taekwondo Centre in Melbourne has taken them in, with head coach Ali Rahimi guiding their development.

But chasing their sporting dreams comes at a cost – being away from loved ones is the most difficult part.

“When I evacuated Afghanistan … I was happy that I got away from that bad situation. But I was sad too because I left my country, left my family,” said Khadija, who makes it a point to call her family daily.

The athletes say they have also become each other’s family by navigating the challenges of life in exile together, including learning English and adapting to a different culture.

“I’m safe now. My life is safe now … At the beginning it was very hard. But after four years living in Australia, it’s getting easier,” said Taieba.

Their ambitions are evolving too. Taieba hopes to represent Australia’s poomsae team, while Khadija has her sights set on training the next generation.

“My message for women out there is: You are strong. You should believe in yourself. Sport is not just for men. It’s for everyone,” said Khadija.

SINGAPORE: The verdict for Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh's appeal against his conviction for lying to a parliamentary privileges committee has been fixed for Dec 4.

This is exactly a month after his appeal was heard by a High Court judge.

The hearing has been listed on the public hearing list before Justice Steven Chong, and Singh's defence team confirmed with CNA on Friday (Nov 28) that it was fixed for the appeal verdict.

Singh, 49, initially indicated he would be appealing against his sentence of a S$14,000 (US$10,700) fine, along with his conviction.

However, at the actual appeal, he dropped the appeal against the sentence and focused on the conviction, which stemmed from how he dealt with a lie told by former Workers' Party member Raeesah Khan.

Ms Khan had lied in parliament on Aug 3, 2021, about accompanying a rape victim to a police station, where the police allegedly made unsavoury remarks about the victim.

When questioned about it again in parliament by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, Ms Khan doubled down on her lie.

She later confessed that her anecdote was false in a statement in parliament on Nov 1, 2021, and Singh was later charged in relation to his testimonies before the committee of privileges on what happened.

Singh had contested the two charges but was convicted in February, receiving the maximum fine of S$7,000 for each of the charges over false testimonies he gave to a parliamentary privileges committee.

During the appeal on Nov 4, Justice Steven Chong questioned both the prosecution - led by Deputy Attorney-General Goh Yihan - and the lead defence lawyer, Mr Andre Jumabhoy, on their respective submissions.

In his written submissions, Mr Jumabhoy said the case had been "wrongly decided" by the trial judge, that the law was "misapplied" and the facts "misjudged".

He said the trial judge accepted "impossibilities" in Ms Khan's account as "proof" and "conjecture as fact", ignoring the "plain reality" that Singh "consistently acted with caution, integrity and empathy".

"He never told Ms Khan to lie. He never encouraged her to maintain the untruth. He gave her time, reminded her of the seriousness of speaking in parliament, and ultimately required her to come clean - in her own words and by her own hand," wrote Mr Jumabhoy.

The prosecution urged the court to dismiss the appeal, saying Singh was seeking a "retrial" instead and that the conviction was "legally and factually sound".

They also urged the court to uphold the trial judge's finding that Singh was not a credible witness, saying Singh was contesting the trial judge's conclusion that "his own testimony was unreliable and unworthy of belief".

The penalties for the charges of wilfully making false answers to questions material to the subject of inquiry before the Committee of Privileges, under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act, are a maximum jail term of three years, a fine of up to S$7,000, or both per charge.

UEFA have fined Atletico Madrid 30,000 euros ($34,749) and handed down a suspended one-match ban for travelling fans due to the "racist and discriminatory" behaviour of some supporters during last month's 4-0 Champions League loss to Arsenal.

European soccer's governing body fined the Spanish club an additional 10,000 euros after some of their fans threw objects during the game at Arsenal's Emirates stadium.

The ban on selling tickets to supporters for an away match was suspended for a probationary period of one year, it added.

Atletico return to Champions League action at Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on December 10. They are 12th in the table with nine points from five games.

($1 = 0.8633 euros)

SINGAPORE: Former DBS CEO Piyush Gupta has been appointed chairman of Temasek India.

Mr Gupta, who retired from his post at the bank in March, will take on the new role from Dec 1, said Temasek in a press release on Friday (Nov 28).

As chairman, Mr Gupta will work closely with Mr Ravi Lambah, head of the Temasek India team and head of strategic initiatives, on investment strategies.

He will support Temasek's portfolio companies as they identify opportunities in India, and also "take on an institutional focus for Temasek by engaging with the Indian government and business communities".

In January, Temasek said it was stepping up the pace to grow its US$40 billion India portfolio and would invest US$10 billion in the country over the next three years.

During his time as DBS CEO, Mr Gupta had led the bank's digital transformation and regional expansion for it to become one of the world’s best banks, said Temasek.

“Piyush brings extensive business insights and strong connections developed over decades in financial services,” said Temasek Holdings CEO and executive director Dilhan Pillay.

“Complementing Ravi’s leadership of our India market, he will provide strategic counsel and help strengthen our institutional networks in India and beyond, enhance our franchise value, and expand our portfolio access.”

Mr Gupta said he was honoured with the opportunity to work with the Temasek India team.

“Having been engaged with the Temasek ecosystem for many years, I look forward to collaborating with the team to deepen partnerships, pursue new opportunities, and contribute to Temasek’s continued growth in India,” he added.

Mr Gupta is currently the deputy chairman of Keppel, chairman of the board of trustees of Singapore Management University and chairman of Mandai Park Holdings board.

He holds various other appointments, including being a board member of the Ministry of Trade and Industry's The Future Economy Advisory Panel.

He was Citibank's CEO for South East Asia-Pacific before being appointed DBS CEO in 2009.

MELBOURNE :Australia captain Pat Cummins and fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood will sit out another Ashes test with injury while opening batter Usman Khawaja, who suffered back spasms in Perth, has been retained in an unchanged squad for the second match in Brisbane.

Australia, 1-0 up in the series after beating England by eight wickets in the opener at Perth Stadium, will again be captained by stand-in skipper Steve Smith, with Mitchell Starc leading a pace attack with Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett.

Cricket Australia said Cummins would travel with the squad, as he did for Perth, despite being unavailable to play.

The early call on Cummins comes after Australia coach and selector Andrew McDonald said he would be given until the 11th hour to prove his fitness for the Gabba match, which starts on December 4.

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Cummins has been sidelined with a lumbar stress injury since Australia swept West Indies in the Caribbean in July.

Hazlewood, part of Australia's triumvirate of elite quicks with Cummins and Starc, is continuing his recovery from a hamstring strain that ruled him out of Perth.

While Cummins bowled at or near full-tilt in a nets session in Sydney on Friday, Hazlewood bowled off shortened run-ups along with reserve seamer Sean Abbott, who is also nursing a hamstring injury.

Khawaja was retained after back spasms in the Perth test prevented him from opening the batting.

The 38-year-old's spot is under scrutiny, though, with Travis Head's match-winning 123 opening in place of Khawaja triggering calls for his retention at the top of the order.

Australia squad:

Steve Smith (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie said his decision to give son Shaqueel a senior debut in their Europa League game against Celtic was made in his role as his coach, not his father, after the Dutch side lost 3-1 at home on Thursday.

The 19-year-old signed his first professional contract with the Dutch club in 2022 and was an unused substitute in Sunday's Eredivisie defeat by NEC Nijmegen after being called up to the first-team squad for the first time.

The forward's senior debut came four days later against Celtic when he came on to replace defender Jordan Lotomba in the 81st minute, with Feyenoord trailing by two goals.

"I made that call as a coach, not as a dad because we needed a goal," former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Van Persie said.

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"Shaqueel is a player who can score a goal from all angles. That was the reason I brought him on."

The substitution did not have the desired effect as Feyenoord conceded a third just a minute later, Benjamin Nygren's goal sealing the win for the Glasgow side.

"From a father's point of view, when your son makes his debut that is always a special moment," the coach said.

"But I wasn't that busy with enjoying that moment, I was doing my work like Shaqueel was."

Feyenoord next play SC Telstar in the Eredivisie on Sunday.