Lawyer appeals against court order to return $450,000 to investor

He owns a law firm and is a director of several businesses.

But Mr Ong Teck Ghee has found himself in a spot after claims against him were filed in court.

They involved business deals that allegedly turned sour. The first case, which is now under appeal, was over a proposed sale of smallpox vaccines to the Ministry of Health.

In the other case, a woman teacher has filed legal papers to have $1 million returned to her.

In a High Court decision in July, Mr Ong was ordered to return about $450,000 to Mr Teo Bee Tiong over the smallpox deal.

Mr Ong had told Mr Teo that he was a consultant for Bavarian Nordic A/S. An online search reveals a biotechnology company by the same name.

Mr Ong told Mr Teo of a project which purportedly was "the proposed sale of at least four million doses of third-generation (non-replicating) smallpox vaccines to the Ministry of Health in Singapore".

And he "expect(ed) to receive consultancy fees of about $20 million under the Consultancy Agreement if the sale (went) through".

In June 2010, Mr Teo paid him $450,000 under the investment agreement, which was for a period of 12 months and held that in the "unlikely event" that the project was not successful, Mr Ong would repay him the $450,000. Mr Teo was promised $900,000 if the project was successful.

But when the 12-month period expired, Mr Ong neither paid him $900,000 nor refunded the $450,000.

STILL UNPAID

Mr Teo filed a suit against Mr Ong in July 2011 and they reached a settlement. But the sum he demanded remained unpaid.

He then applied for summary judgment against Mr Ong and it was dismissed.

Subsequently, Mr Teo appealed against the decision and Justice Andrew Ang ruled in favour of him in July.

In his grounds of decision, Justice Ang said he found it curious how the project could have taken place to begin with.

He said: "As far as I have been able to ascertain, the World Health Organisation certified in 1979 that smallpox had been eradicated worldwide.

"This resulted in routine vaccination against smallpox among the general public being progressively discontinued so that by 1986, routine vaccination had ceased in all countries."

The matter is now with the Court of Appeal after Mr Ong appealed against Justice Ang's decision.

The New Paper approached Mr Ong at his law firm on Thursday, but he declined to comment.

He is also facing a disciplinary tribunal after the woman teacher complained to the Law Society about her dealings with him. She is claiming that she pumped $650,000 into what Mr Ong called a government-related health project, of which he returned only $51,500.

Who is Ong Teck Ghee?

A lawyer of more than 25 years, Mr Ong Teck Ghee owns law firm Ong and Lau. He is the former president of Warren Golf and Country Club and has "extensive experience in corporate, financing, banking, commercial, conveyancing and does selected civil, criminal litigation work", his firm's website states.

He is also a director of 11 companies, including beauty and slimming company Mary Chia Holdings, as well as the president of Aranda Country Club and a general committee member at Orchid Country Club.

wrennie@sph.com.sg

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