GOPALAN NAIR FACES CHARGE OF INSULTING JUDGE

By Jeremy Au Yong

FORMER Singaporean lawyer Gopalan Pallichadath Nair, 58, on Monday faced an amended charge alleging that he had insulted a High Court judge on his blog rather than through an e-mail.

The Singaporean turned US citizen was originally accused of sending e-mails to two High Court judges, alleging bias.

The judges in question are Justice Belinda Ang and Justice Lai Siu Chiu.

He is said to have sent Justice Lai the offending mail in 2006 while she was presiding over a contempt of court case involving Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan.

One of the two charges he faces for insulting Justice Ang an e-mail two weeks ago was on Monday changed to blog posts instead.

Nair had strenuously denied sending an e-mail to Justice Ang, when he met reporters last week.

Still, the allegations he is believed to have made, as well as the date of the offence, remain unchanged.

Nair allegedly insulted Justice Ang by saying she was 'prostituting herself' during a three-day hearing to assess damages in a defamation suit that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew won against Chee and his sister Chee Siok Chin.

He had returned to Singapore on May 25 to observe the hearing.

The amendment also means that both charges against him will be tried in High Court.

Previously, they were under different sections of the law. The insult against Justice Ang was initially classified as an offence under the Miscellaneous Offences Act, which is dealt in the Subordinate Courts.

Now, both are offences under the Penal Code, and will be dealt with in High Court.

Nair was also told by the court on Monday that he must report daily to the police, as a condition of his bail, until July 14, when a date for his trial will likely be set. - ST.