Why Leong Sze Hian Lost the Full S$45,000 Bail He Furnished for Lim Tean

A Singapore district court ordered blogger Leong Sze Hian to forfeit the full S$45,000 bail amount he had furnished for lawyer and opposition politician Lim Tean on September 17, 2026. Lim had failed to surrender at the State Courts on August 3 to begin a jail term and was alleged to have gone to Malaysia. The judge’s decision turned on Leong’s conduct as bailor, not simply on Lim’s failure to appear.2410

What Leong and the prosecution argued

Leong opposed forfeiture. He said he had done his best to fulfil his responsibilities, had contacted Lim on August 2—the day before Lim was due to surrender—and had received assurances from him. Leong said he had no reason to expect Lim to run away.257

Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong sought forfeiture of the entire amount. The prosecution said text messages showed Leong had not maintained the required daily contact with Lim between July 1 and August 3. It also said Leong did not try to contact Lim on the surrender date until an investigating officer contacted Leong.41017

Why the judge ordered full forfeiture

District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt found that Leong had failed to meet his obligations as a surety. The judge said those obligations included ensuring that Lim complied with his bail conditions and did not leave Singapore without the court’s permission. He agreed that the failures warranted forfeiture of the full amount.1027

The S$45,000 was not entirely a cash deposit: it comprised S$30,000 in monetary security for one case and S$15,000 in non-monetary security for another.710

What happened to Lim, and how the men knew each other

An arrest warrant was issued after Lim missed his August 3 surrender date. Malaysian police arrested him in Johor Bahru on August 6; he was handed over to Singapore authorities on August 11 and arrested on his return.41011

Lim was due to serve a term of three months and one week for practising law without a valid practising certificate.16 He and Leong also had a prior lawyer-client relationship: Lim represented Leong in a defamation case brought by then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong over a Facebook post Leong had shared.825