It was previously reported earlier this year, that 11 trainee lawyers were revealed to have cheated in their Bar exams back in 2020.
Their applications to the Bar (which decides their eligibility to practice law in Singapore), were delayed by a judge.
Their actions were slammed and criticised, with even Minister of Law and Home Affairs, K Shanmugam, weighing in on the controversy.
Six of the eleven cheaters, have since withdrew their applications yesterday (15 August) to practice law in Singapore.
They were granted permission to do so by a High Court judge, who advised them to continue working in the legal industry, so that they can find a suitable mentor and see if they can reapply to the Bar in future.
The six cheaters are namely:
- Lynn Kuek Yi Ting
- Matthew Chow Jun Feng
- Lionel Wong Choong Yoong
- Monisha Devaraj
- Kushal Atul Shah
- Sreeraam Ravenderan
Recap
6 cheaters initially found at first
Six trainee lawyers who cheated in the bar exams in 2020, had their admission into the legal profession delayed.
Justice Choo Han Teck said in his grounds of decision on 18 April, that he will not be naming the 6 of them in the hope that they will not be prejudiced in the long run.
He said that dishonesty is a big problem but it would also be harsh to end their professional career before it has even begun.
The six cheaters were among 26 trainee lawyers who had applied for admission to the bar last Wednesday.
Law graduates have to pass a set of exams called Part B to be admitted to the bar, in order to practise law in Singapore.
Also, the lawyer who wants to be admitted into the bar must not have any objection from the Attorney-General, Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE) and Law Society of Singapore.
The six trainees’ application was objected to by the Attorney-General, citing their lack of honesty and integrity for cheating.
The six of them have since passed their required exams after retaking it.
5 more revealed to have cheated
It was previously reported that 6 trainee lawyers had cheated in their bar exams in 2020, and had their admission into the legal profession delayed.
However, the Attorney-General’s Chambers spoke to Straits Times on 19 April, saying that they are considering the applications by 5 other candidates who cheated in their bar exam in 2020.
This means that the total number of trainee lawyers who cheated in their bar exams now stands at 11.
The spokesperson who spoke to ST said that this is the first time the AGC has objected to applications for admission to the bar for cheating in the exams.
The spokesperson said that the Attorney-General feels that these trainee lawyers are not currently fit to be admitted to be solicitors of the Supreme Court.
She added that their misconduct demonstrates their lack of key qualities such as honesty and integrity that is required of every lawyer.