Malaysia police arrest Lim Tean in JB

Lim Tean was arrested by the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) in Johor Bahru on Thursday (Aug 6), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Friday.

Lim, who is the secretary-general of the People's Alliance for Reform, was issued an arrest warrant on Aug 3 to begin his jail term for practising law without a certificate.

"As Lim Tean has an outstanding court warrant for arrest in Singapore for failing to surrender to court, the SPF is working closely with the RMP to secure his return to Singapore," the police said.

"The SPF expresses appreciation to the Malaysian authorities for their prompt assistance."

Lim was convicted in July 2024 of three charges under the Legal Profession Act and was sentenced to six weeks' jail and a fine of $1,000 by a district judge in February 2025, the Straits Times reported.

But that was increased to three months and one week after a judge agreed with the prosecution that his original sentence was "manifestly inadequate".

The opposition politician was declared bankrupt in April, and was also fined $30,000 over his conduct in handling a former client's money.

Lim is the founder of Peoples Voice (PV) and secretary-general of the People's Alliance for Reform, an alliance of opposition parties.

He contested last year's General Election in Potong Pasir SMC and finished third behind the People's Action Party's Alex Yeo and the Singapore People's Party's Williamson Lee.

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daoen.wong@asiaone.com