PUBLISHED ONSeptember 09, 2020 2:57 AMByKimberly Anne LimWeeks after their social media drama — which involved some serious allegations — lawyers Charles Yeo and Imran Rahim said they have buried the hatchet.
Imran will be discontinuing legal proceedings against Yeo, who accused him of sexual misconduct, and has tendered his resignation at his law firm to focus on his family, he told Today on Tuesday (Sept 8).
On his part, Yeo has agreed not to publish new posts on the matter, Imran said.
Following lunch the same day with both parties' lawyers in attendance, Yeo shared a statement on his Instagram Stories announcing that he and Rahim had resolved their differences and wished each other well.
He also added that he "had not endorsed the allegations".
Yeo, who is also the chairman of the Reform Party, declined to comment when AsiaOne approached him for more information.
Reposting Yeo's statement, Imran wrote: "I would like to thank Charles for agreeing to amicably settle our disagreements.
"I respect the work that he has done for the disadvantaged in our society and wish him all the best in his career as a lawyer and as the chairman of the Reform Party."
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Imran, who says he has tendered his resignation at Tan Kok Quan Partnership (TKQP), where he was a senior associate, told Today: "The past few weeks have been difficult for me and I wanted to take a short break to take care of my family and myself."
The 32-year-old, who is married to social media influencer Andrea Chong, added, "I am glad that this matter has been resolved and I look forward to continuing my legal career and my community work."
TKQP said on July 23 that it was looking into the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against Imran, but has not responded to AsiaOne's query on the result of its internal investigation.
The allegations first surfaced in Yeo's online tirade against Imran on July 21 as he accused the latter of sexual misconduct towards young debaters.
At the time, he even challenged Imran to serve him a writ of defamation, saying: "I'm not afraid of Imran and the moment I am served the writ I'll bring the matter to the media and email all my media contacts and have it blasted all around Singapore."
In response, Imran said in a statement on July 23 that he denied the "wide-ranging allegations" and would be taking the necessary steps to vindicate himself.
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On July 31, Yeo's lawyer M Ravi told Today that Imran had filed a lawsuit against his client under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA).
The first court hearing was fixed for late-August, he had said.
Under POHA, behaviour which harasses, alarms or distresses a victim is considered an offence.
Those who intentionally cause harassment, alarm or distress may face a fine of up to $5,000, up to 6 months' imprisonment, or both.
kimberlylim@asiaone.com