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Peoples Voice leader Lim Tean was arrested this morning for not cooperating with unrelated police investigations, the force announced hours after hauling him off in handcuffs from a meeting with one of his clients.

Denying there was any political motivation to the arrest – Lim was consulting with a client accused of defaming the prime minister at the time – the statement said Lim was the subject of police complaints alleging criminal breach of trust and harassment. They also addressed the use of handcuffs while leading Lim away from his meeting, where he was preparing his client’s defense in next weeks’ trial. 

“As Mr Lim Tean did not cooperate with the notice to attend an interview with Police, and had stated clearly that he had no intent to comply, the Police had no choice but to arrest Mr Lim Tean in order to conduct the investigations,” the statement read. “This would not have been necessary, if he complied with the Police Notice to come for an interview.”

Peoples Voice leader arrested as he meets client sued by PM

Lim is defending blogger Leong Sze Hian from a defamation complaint filed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong over an article he shared online. Police said Lim had failed to answer a summon to appear Monday at a police station. Lim says he had sought to defer the meeting due to his pending legal case.

According to the police, another client of Lim’s accused him of misappropriating an undisclosed sum of money from damages awarded in a motor injury case. They said one of Lim’s former employees accused him of harassing her at his Carson Law Chambers firm but did not elaborate on the details. 

“The Police reject his allegations that the investigations are politically motivated. Mr Lim Tean’s alleged victims had filed Police reports alleging serious offences by him against them, and the Police have a duty to investigate the allegations,” police added. 

A video of the confrontation between three police officers and Lim at the office this morning showed Lim telling them that he had already replied to the office and sought to postpone the matter until after his client’s trial next week.

“We are on the eve of a trial, you are disturbing our work, you showed no respect to our client. You’re obviously under orders from a higher authority to do this, and I want to know why can’t this matter take place after the trial?” Lim said in the video.

Photos of Lim in handcuffs were earlier posted by human rights lawyer M Ravi, who said he was sharing the images on Lim’s behalf.

Ravi said that Lim and Leong had met to prepare for Tuesday’s trial. 

Two years ago, Prime Minister Lee sued Leong for sharing an article alleging that he had helped former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak launder money as part of his massive looting of that nation’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.  

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Peoples Voice leader arrested as he meets client sued by PM