SINGAPORE - One of the 11 aspiring lawyers who cheated in the 2020 Bar examination was on Wednesday (May 11) allowed to withdraw his application to be called to the Bar after he agreed to two conditions set by the court.

However, Mr Leon Tay Quan Li failed in his bid to get a court order for his name to be redacted and for his case file to be sealed.

In a hearing before Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Mr Tay gave an undertaking not to bring a fresh application for admission to the Bar in Singapore or in any other jurisdiction for at least five years.

The 26-year-old also gave his word that, if and when he brings a fresh application, he would have to satisfy any requirements by the Attorney-General, Law Society, Singapore Institute of Legal Education or the court as to his fitness for admission.

The Chief Justice said Mr Tay had shown a grave deficit of integrity in cheating during the exam and in the way he conducted himself when confronted in the aftermath.

Mr Tay had given a false account of what had transpired; he had also not given full disclosure of what happened when he filed his application to be admitted to the Bar.

But the fact that Mr Tay is not fit and proper to be admitted to the Bar does not mean that he will never be so, said Chief Justice Menon.

"I am inviting him to see this as the first step in his journey towards rehabilitation by publicly taking responsibility for his wrong, accepting that he is not fit and proper person for admission, and pledging to rehabilitate himself," said the Chief Justice.

During the hearing, the Chief Justice noted that five years was the maximum period of suspension for lawyers.

He will issue detailed written reasons at a later date.

Mr Tay was one of 11 aspiring lawyers caught cheating in the Bar exam known as Part B in 2020, which was held online.

All had to retake the exam in the following year. 

He was found to have colluded with another candidate, Ms Lynn Kuek Yi Ting.

Ms Kuek was one of the six trainee lawyers whose applications for admission to the Bar were heard last month by Justice Choo Han Teck.

The Attorney-General had opposed their admissions because they had cheated in the exam.

On April 18, it was revealed that Ms Kuek's application was adjourned for a year, while the applications of the other five were adjourned for six months.

It was further revealed that the Attorney-General was considering another five applications.

On April 22, Mr Tay, who was one of the five, applied to the court to withdraw his admission application. He later sought the redaction and sealing orders.

On Wednesday, his bid for the redaction and sealing orders was heard and dismissed by Chief Justice Menon in private.

The withdrawal application was then heard in open court.

The Attorney-General, represented by Mr Jeyendran Jeyapal, objected to the withdrawal.

Mr Jeyendran argued that the withdrawal application was just another attempt by Mr Tay to evade responsibility and shield his identity from the public.

The Law Society, represented by Mr Kenneth Lim, had no objection.

Lawyer Luo Ling Ling, who was acting for Mr Tay, said that MrTay recognised that he was not good enough to be admitted to the Bar and wanted to work on moulding his character. 

She said Mr Tay was also traumatised by the rising public hostility.

Ms Luo said that since March 2020, Mr Tay suffered from depression and anxiety, which persisted throughout the Bar exam held at the end of that year.

Mr Tay - through Ms Luo - also released a letter to the media apologising for his "inexcusable misconduct".

He apologised to all the members of the legal fraternity and fellow candidates who took the Bar exam that year as well as to all members of the public, saying he was deeply remorseful for his mistakes and that he had disappointed his parents.

Mr Tay said: "I know that I am presently not fit and proper to be admitted to the Bar. As such, I applied to withdraw my application, with conditions to be set by the court as it deems appropriate for my case.

"I will reflect on my actions and perform more volunteering and pro bono work to give back to the community as a whole in the near future."