Read JB Jeyaretnams press release on his ongoing struggle to fight court actions against him.
PRESS RELEASE My appeal against the Assistant Registrar's dismissal of my application to dismiss all the actions by Senior Minister and others (seven actions) was dismissed by Justice Lai Siu Chiu this morning. (Earlier release 19 January 2001).
I argued that there had been a delay of more than three years and the Plantiffs had not given any grounds for the delay. I said the only ground, as it appeared to me, was that the actions were being revived now because of the general elections due this year. I said there had been intentional and contumelious (haughtily insolent) disregard of the court order directing the actions to be heard and giving dates for the hearing and that further I had suffered great prejudice by this delay in that Mr Georege Carman, Queen's Counsel, was no longer available to defend me in the action by Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Mr George Carman had been admitted to defend me in the action. He has recently died.
Justice Lai, after hearing me and Mr Davinder Singh, PAP Member of Parliament and Counsel for Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, dismissed my appeal.
I am taking a further appeal from this order to the Court of Appeal.
All the Plaintiffs had gone to sleep after the action by Mr Goh Chok Tong was disposed of and they have just woken up just in time for elections to be held in 2001. They have written to the Registrar for dates to be assigned for the hearing of their respective actions.
JB Jeyaretnam 13th February 2001.
