Lim Tean, a 61-year-old Singaporean lawyer, was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police in Johor Bahru on August 6, 2026, for failing to surrender to serve a jail term in Singapore [1, 2, 3, 4]. He was handed over to Singapore authorities and arrested by the Singapore Police Force on August 11, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4].

Lim had failed to report to the Singapore State Courts on August 3, 2026, to begin serving his sentence, prompting the issuance of an arrest warrant that day [1, 2, 3, 4]. Earlier, Lim was convicted in July 2024 on three charges under the Legal Profession Act for practising law without a valid practising certificate [1, 2, 4]. He was initially sentenced in February 2025 to six weeks' jail and fined SGD 1,000, which he described as "a very small fine" [1, 2, 3, 4].

In February 2026, the High Court increased Lim’s jail term to three months and one week following a prosecution appeal [1, 2, 3, 4]. In April 2026, he was fined SGD 30,000 in a separate disciplinary case involving a mishandled client cheque of the same sum [1, 2, 4].

Lim did not apply for a practising certificate for the 2021 practice year due to difficulty obtaining professional indemnity insurance, yet he attended 32 court hearings between April and June 2021 without a valid certificate [1, 2, 4].

Before his arrest, Lim had left Singapore illegally while out on court bail. Police investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding his departure [3]. Two Singaporeans, Mohammad Adam Abd Karim, 44, and Sulaiman Muhammad Firdaus, 37, were charged on August 8, 2026, with conspiring to defeat the course of justice by assisting Lim’s illegal departure from Singapore [1, 2, 4].

Peggy Pao, director of the Commercial Affairs Department, said, "The police are resolved to pursue and bring to justice those who commit crimes in Singapore, regardless of where they flee to. We will continue to work closely with our wide network of overseas law enforcement partners to locate, arrest and secure the return of criminals to face justice in Singapore. I would like to thank the RMP for their prompt assistance in this case" [3].