Legal

Former PA to Hin Leong Trading Founder refutes OK Lim’s claim on his role in firm

Serene Seng testified in court that Lim had always been “in complete control of the company” and “made all the decisions” regarding the company’s decisions.

Published

8 months ago

February 7, 2024

Admin

Mrs Serene Seng, a former personal assistant of Hin Leong Trading (Pte) Ltd founder, on Tuesday (6 February) refuted Lim Oon Kuin’s claim that he was not always involved in the company’s decisions, according to The Business Times.

Seng testified in court that Lim, who is accused of alleged cheating and forgery charges involving USD 111.7 million (SGD 148.7 million), had always been “in complete control of the company” and “made all the decisions” regarding the company’s decisions.

Manifold Times previously reported prosecutors accusing Lim of lying and playing down his involvement in the company’s dealings when grilling him.

Lim had said Hin Leong traders would inform him only “as a matter of formality” when asked if he would give approval to them for trades they conducted.

When asked by Senior Counsel (SC) Cavinder Bull of Drew & Napier if she agreed with Lim and his children’s claims that they were not involved in the day-to-day and commercial operations of the company, Seng said: “That’s not true, he is lying.”

Seng said one of Lim’s children, Evan Lim, was always involved in the trading department and oversaw the bunkers department. Lim’s daughter, Lim Huey Ching, meanwhile, was in charge of the accounts department. But Seng did not have much knowledge of Huey Ching’s role in the company or her duties.

Seng told the court that she started at Hin Leong trading in 1992 or 1993, and left the company in April 2020. She started as an operations executive, and her last position was the manager of corporate affairs. She was also formerly OK Lim’s personal assistant.

The trial is scheduled to resume on 13 February.

An extensive coverage by Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times regarding the fall of Hin Leong can be found below:

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 7 February, 2024

Related Topics:Legal - Corruption Legal - Crime

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Vessel Arrest

Singapore: Liberia-flagged tanker “Fair Star” placed under Sheriff’s arrest

Vessel was arrested at 9.05pm and is currently held at Eastern Petroleum Anchorage A; arresting solicitor listed was law firm Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP.

Published

5 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Admin

An Liberia-flagged oil tanker, Fair Star, was arrested in Singapore waters on Saturday (5 October).

The vessel was added to the list of vessels under Sheriff’s arrest in Singapore’s court system.

According to the list, the vessel was arrested at 9.05pm and the arresting solicitor listed was law firm Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP. The ship is currently held at Eastern Petroleum Anchorage A.

No details regarding the reason behind the arrest were provided in the list.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Flare
Published: 9 October, 2024

Winding up

Singapore: Final meeting scheduled for K3 Shipping Pte Ltd

Meeting will be held on 4 November at 9am to hear any explanation that may be given by liquidators, according to Government Gazette notice.

Published

2 days ago

October 7, 2024

Admin

The final meeting of K3 Shipping Pte Ltd, has been scheduled to take place on 4 November, according to the company’s liquidator on a notice posted on Friday (4 October) on the Government Gazette.

The meeting will be held at 9am at 600 North Bridge Road, #05-01 Parkview Square, Singapore 188778.

It is being held for the purpose of having an account laid before the members showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and the property of the company disposed of and of hearing any explanation that may be given by the Liquidators.

The details of the liquidator are as follows:

Victor Goh
Khor Boon Hong
Marie Lee
Joint Liquidators
c/o Baker Tilly
600 North Bridge Road
#05-01 Parkview Square
Singapore 188778

According to Singapore-based B2B Sales Intelligence platform The Grid, the company’s main activity was in shipping, including chartering of ships and boats with crew.

Related: Singapore: K3 Shipping Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Photo credit: Benjamin-child
Published: 7 October, 2024

Sanctions

Panama comes down hard on sanction-evading ships with de-flagging

Panama Maritime Authority will automatically cancel the registration of any vessel found to be involved in illicit activities or that changes its flag in order to evade sanctions.

Published

6 days ago

October 3, 2024

Admin

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) on Wednesday (30 September) announced that, after an internal investigation, it will automatically cancel the registration of any vessel found to be involved in illicit activities or that changes its flag in order to evade sanctions.

This clarification follows the recent inclusion of seven Panamanian-flagged vessels on the list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Panama has adopted a series of strategies to reduce the inclusion of vessels on sanctions lists, including:

The monitoring and control section was moved to a protection department that is more aligned with its functions. The Control and Monitoring section was moved from the Department of Navigation and Maritime Safety to the Maritime Ship Protection Department, given its close relationship with international sanctions activities and the surveillance of the merchant fleet.
In September 2024, the “Panama Flag Precheck Process” was published, a circular that establishes prerequisites for flagging and that allows due diligence to be carried out on the vessel, its owner and its operator.
Panama signed the Registry Information Exchange Agreement (RISC) to prevent a ship from moving from one registry to another, seeking to commit some type of illicit activity or trying to evade compliance with imposed sanctions.

The General Directorate of Merchant Marine of the AMP is evaluating additional strategic measures that allow for the expeditious cancellation of the Panamanian flag of vessels with proven links to activities that go against national interests, international instruments or the shipping industry in general.

There are legal mechanisms used to cancel the registration of vessels included in sanctions lists, such as the one described in Article 49 of the General Merchant Marine Law 57, which establishes the causes for automatic cancellations, such as the use of the vessel for smuggling, illegal trade and piracy, among other crimes.

The Panamanian Shipping Registry will not negotiate with anyone who wants to use it improperly and will apply the established legal mechanisms to be able to act according to due process and legal certainty.

In January, it was reported that a group of US senators called PMA to investigate and de-flag tankers that are violating US sanctions on the Iranian oil trade.

Citing data from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), the letter from the senators to PMA, stated that of the nearly 400 vessels they believe are aiding Iran, the letter reports that nearly half (189) are flagged in Panama.

Photo credit: Luis Gonzalez on Unsplash
Published: 3 October, 2024