On 19 Jan, Davinder Singh walked into a courtroom. In two simple exchanges, he had cast doubt upon the public prosecutor's entire case, and raised the opinion of his client, Minister S Iswaran.
Source: Channel News Asia
Singapore's Top Lawyer
Davinder made his name as Lee Kuan Yew's lawyer, winning against opposition politicians Tang Liang Hong and Chee Soon Juan, as well as foreign media outlets like The Economist, Bloomberg and the New York Times.
Davinder went on to represent the son as well - in the defamation lawsuit Lee Hsien Loong vs Roy Ngerng. Ngerng had accused Lee Hsien Loong of misappropriating Central Provident Fund savings. Ngerng broke down while he was being cross-examined by Mr Singh.
Senior Counsel & Former MP
Davinder Singh was appointed as Senior Counsel in the pioneer batch in 1997. This esteemed status of "Senior Counsel" is awarded to about 1% of practicing lawyers. It is only awarded to litigators (not corporate lawyers). Fascinatingly, Senior Counsel also have right of precedence, meaning they are always moved to the top of the queue for court.
(For more information on Senior Counsels, check out this article by Asia Law Network)
Davinder Singh taking oath as an MP.
Source: National Archives of Singapore
Davinder was a lifelong admirer of Lee Kuan Yew. More, his own parents were admirers of the senior Lee as well. He joined the PAP to make his parents proud, and ran in the 1988 general elections in Toa Payoh GRC, where he won uncontested. He continued to serve as an MP until 2006.
Iswaran's Only Hope
It remains to be seen whether the prodigious lawyer can turn things around for Iswaran... or perhaps buy him some time in court to get his affairs in order. But if you take a look at PM Lee's letter to Iswaran, the Minister's cry of innocence is pointedly ignored.
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