Outgoing Law Society president responds to report on ongoing probe at the professional body
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
On Dec 17, Ms Lisa Sam Hui Min said in a LinkedIn post that she had repeatedly asked TSMP Law Corporation for written details of the allegations, but to no avail.
PHOTOS: KUA CHEE SIONG, ST FILE
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE - The outgoing president of the Law Society of Singapore said details of an ongoing probe within the organisation were not made known to her, despite having made multiple inquiries.
Ms Lisa Sam Hui Min, who will remain a council member of the professional body, said in a late-night LinkedIn post on Dec 17 that she had repeatedly asked TSMP Law Corporation for written details of the allegations, but to no avail.
The Law Society did not earlier respond to queries from The Straits Times on the allegations and the probe. ST had reported on Dec 16
In her post, Ms Sam said: “(I’m) surprised and deeply troubled because details of what was supposed to be an independent, confidential process over anonymous reports and unsubstantiated assertions commissioned by the Law Society’s Audit Committee and delegated to TSMP Law Corporation, were somehow provided to the press, even before I was given the details.”
The allegations of workplace bullying had first emerged online in September. The online post sparked the internal investigation at the Law Society.
Ms Sam said she had asked TSMP for details of the actual allegations to be made available in writing so that she would be in a position to provide a useful written response.
“Those details were not forthcoming to me,” she added.
Ms Sam said: “It is extremely unfortunate that I had to learn from The Straits Times, what purportedly was being investigated.”
TSMP’s joint managing partner, Senior Counsel Thio Shen Yi, had confirmed with ST that there was an ongoing probe and said a progress report has been submitted to the audit committee.
He declined to give further details.
ST understands a number of former and current employees were interviewed by TSMP between October and December.
In her LinkedIn post, Ms Sam said some of the allegations, which were stated in anonymous complaints, occurred even before her time in office. She has been president of the organisation since 2024.
Ms Sam: “I am at a loss to understand what meaningful update on progress or interim report could have been provided. The review must still be ongoing and nowhere near complete, given that TSMP (has) yet to provide me with written details of the actual allegations.”
“Needless to say, I am troubled that TSMP’s joint managing partner made statements to the press about a matter he must have known was confidential and the making of which could potentially be a breach of his duties to the Audit Committee and the Law Society of Singapore.”
Ms Sam will leave her post at the end of 2025, with Mr Dinesh Singh Dhillon, the president-elect
ST has contacted the Law Society and Ms Sam for comments about the allegations, and the status of the probe.
