Francis Seow dies in Boston aged 88

Singapore

FRANCIS Seow, the former Singapore solicitor-general who became an opposition politician and then a fugitive from justice, has died in Boston. He was 88.

His nephew Mark Looi, who lives in the US, said in a Linkedin post on Thursday that his uncle had died this week. He did not mention the cause of death. But Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan said he died of pneumonia.

Mr Seow had been living in the United States since 1988 after fleeing Singapore. This was after he was accused of tax evasion and summoned to appear in court.

In May 1988, Mr Seow - who was also a former president of the Law Society - was detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for 72 days in connection with a case involving American diplomat Hank Hendrickson. The envoy was accused of interference in Singapore politics. He…