Lawyer disbarred for spending over $4,300 on credit card found in private-hire car
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The disbarment was handed down by the Court of Three Judges, which has the power to suspend or disbar errant lawyers.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Follow topic:
- Lawyer Li Zhongsheng was struck off the rolls after being convicted of cheating for using a found credit card to make over $4,300 in purchases.
- Li admitted to being "greedy and stupid", and while he had depressive disorder, it wasn't causally linked to the offences, according to the court.
- The court noted Li's apology, full restitution, and psychiatric treatment, but upheld the presumptive sanction of disbarment.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – A lawyer thought it was his “lucky day” when he found a card holder left behind in a private-hire vehicle, and used one of the credit cards inside to buy more than $4,300 worth of goods.
After he was arrested, Mr Li Zhongsheng admitted that he had been “greedy and stupid” in making the purchases, court documents stated.
On Oct 14, the 30-year-old was struck off the rolls following his criminal conviction for cheating.
He has served his sentence of three weeks’ jail, imposed in February by a district judge.
The disbarment was handed down by the Court of Three Judges, which has the power to suspend or disbar errant lawyers.
The court agreed with the Law Society of Singapore that Mr Li should be struck off as he had been convicted of an offence involving dishonesty.
The presumptive sanction in such a case is a striking off, and there are no exceptional facts which justify a departure from this rule, said the court.
There was no causal link between Mr Li’s major depressive disorder and the commission of the offences, the judges added.
However, the court noted that he has apologised for his conduct, made full restitution of the amounts cheated, pleaded guilty to the charge against him and readily accepted that he should be struck off.
“This suggests that he acknowledges and appreciates the gravity of his offending conduct,” said the court, comprising Justices Steven Chong, Belinda Ang and Hri Kumar Nair.
The judges added that Mr Li is receiving regular psychiatric treatment and attending monthly therapy sessions.
While this did not minimise or excuse his offence, it demonstrates that he is taking tangible steps to address any underlying difficulties he may have, said the court.
Mr Li was admitted to the Bar in August 2021.
In the early hours of Aug 28, 2022, while on his way to Yishun in a private-hire vehicle, he found a card holder left behind by the previous passenger.
Mr Li kept the holder, which contained several cards.
That afternoon, he used one of the cards to buy a packet of cigarettes at the Cheers convenience store at Northpoint City shopping mall as a “test purchase”.
When he found that the card had not yet been disabled, he decided to make some bigger purchases.
He went to the Harvey Norman store at the mall and bought $4,349 worth of items, including a $3,198 laptop for his younger brother, a warranty for the laptop valued at $635, and a speaker worth $349.
Mr Li told the salesman that the laptop and warranty were meant for “Brandon Tan” and the remaining items were for “Jonathan Chua”.
He also provided fictitious contact numbers to avoid being linked to the purchases.
Mr Li took home the purchased items as well as a monitor that was a promotional gift.
Meanwhile, the card owner contacted the private-hire driver, who provided him with Mr Li’s name and contact number.
The card owner also received a notification on his mobile phone that the card had been used for a transaction amounting to $4,349.
He made a police report at about 9.30pm that day.
Mr Li was arrested at about 8pm the next day, and handed over the items.
He made full restitution on Aug 28, 2023.
On Oct 23, 2024, he pleaded guilty to a charge of cheating for the fraudulent purchases at Harvey Norman.
Two other charges – one for dishonest misappropriation of the card holder and one for cheating in relation to the purchase of the cigarettes – were taken into consideration when he was sentenced on Feb 4.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) notified the Law Society about Mr Li’s case in a letter dated April 30.
The AGC took the view that the Law Society was legally required to apply for Mr Li to be struck off as he had been convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty.
The society, represented in court by Ms Kong Man Er from Drew & Napier, filed the application on July 10.
Mr Li’s lawyers – Mr Sunil Sudheesan and Ms Joyce Khoo from Quahe Woo & Palmer – said in their submissions that their client was sorry and accepted that he had to be struck off.
They said his behaviour was out of character and his decisions then were coloured by his struggles with work and his psychiatric problems.
