Tycoon OK Lim, ailed by acute sinusitis, fails to show up in court again

IT WAS no show for the third time as Singapore tycoon Lim Oon Kuin of the collapsed Hin Leong empire was unable to attend a mention at the State Courts, where prosecutors were expected to tender an additional 23 counts of forgery-related offences on Thursday.

Defence lawyer Navin Thevar of Davinder Singh Chambers said Lim, who is better known as OK Lim, was not present in court as he has been diagnosed with "acute and chronic sinusitis" and was therefore unfit to attend the hearing.

He further said that Lim would need to undergo surgery for his condition but hasn't yet as he is on blood thinners.

On account of Lim's medical status, Mr Thevar sought a two-week adjournment to allow Lim the "opportunity for recovery if and when he is fit" to attend court for the charges to be read to him.

But District Judge Terence Tay said the application for the adjournment was "open ended" and lacked clarification, and was hence incomplete. "There is no way for us to see what’s going to happen next and we can’t have it that way," he remarked.

Thursday's session follows two earlier adjournments. On March 29, the mention was adjourned as the Commercial Affairs Department could not complete recording Lim's cautioned statements as he was unwell. It was adjourned again when the next date came up early this month, as the 79-year old was on a five-day stay-home notice (SHN).

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Deputy Public Prosecutor Navin Naidu told the court that all 23 cautioned statements have been served on Lim on April 12. He argued that Lim should be made to attend court on Thursday - or if not, the next day - and that his lawyer’s request for a two-week adjournment was unjustified and would needlessly prolong the matter.

He also raised a few issues on the timing of Lim's consultations with the doctor over the past month, which he said should be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to accept the medical memo that was provided by Lim's lawyer.

During the last mention on April 8, Lim was on a five-day medical certificate/SHN which he said "curiously" started the day after he had seen the doctor. Ordinarily, it should have begun on the day he saw the doctor and if that were the case, then the SHN would not have extended to the day he was required to appear in court, said Mr Naidu.

Also, he pointed out that while the latest medical memo was dated April 28, the doctor had last seen and medically assessed Lim six days prior to that. That meant Lim was not medically assessed between that period, Mr Naidu highlighted.

He continued: "If your honour wants to adjourn, we ask for it to be fixed at 9am on Friday. We object to the two-week adjournment. The memo says he is unfit for court today. Tomorrow is a new day and we ask that the mention be done tomorrow."

Mr Thevar pointed to Lim's age and remarked that Lim "suffers a slew of medical conditions and is generally in poor health". He said there may be further consultations on whether or not Lim is fit to attend court on Friday. As such, he argued that it would be prudent to give Lim more than one day to turn up.

Judge Tay said the court will deal with that (further consultations) "when we cross that bridge" and adjourned the hearing to Friday. "The MC only says today. Since neither one of us (is) medically trained... he is unfit today and not unfit tomorrow," he said.

Lim, a low-key businessman, deemed a legend in the city state's oil and marine sector, built the group from a one-man-one-truck oil dealer in the 1960s into one of the largest oil traders, tanker owners and bunkering companies. Many who have worked with him and moved in his circle describe him as a "workaholic" and philanthropist.

But last year's historic oil crash was too much to bear. Just last month, the curtains came down on Hin Leong Trading (HLT), which owes some US$4.6 billion to over 20 banks, after the court granted an order to wind up the company. HLT's judicial managers had filed for a winding up after a hunt for buyers of the assets on an integrated basis threw up no takers.

Last year, Singapore police charged Lim with two counts of abetment of forgery for the purpose of cheating. His S$3 million court bail was extended on Thursday.