Singapore: Defence lawyer Davinder Singh says judge erred in convicting OK Lim of cheating

Hin Leong founder Lim Oon Kuin’s lead lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, reportedly said the criminal trial judge erred in convicting Lim of cheating charges.

He made the statement while defending his client’s case challenging the jail term before the High Court on Friday (24 October).

In November last year, Lim, also known as OK Lim, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in jail on three charges of cheating and forgery at the State Courts of Singapore after a lengthy trial. 

According to media reports, the 83-year-old appealed against the conviction and sentences and is seeking a seven-year jail term instead. 

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions. 

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences, and Lim claimed trial to these charges.

The trial proceeded on three charges:

• Two charges of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, and,
• One charge of instigating forgery for the purpose of cheating under Section 468 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code.

These three charges concern two fraudulent discounting applications made by Hin Leong to HSBC, pursuant to which HSBC disbursed a total of USD 111,683,939 to Hin Leong. The rest of the charges were stood down pending resolution of the trial.

The court found that Lim had, through Hin Leong employees, cheated HSBC by representing to the bank that Hin Leong had entered into two contracts for the sale of oil, with China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltd and Unipec Singapore Pte Ltd respectively, and then applying for discounting of those purported transactions. In a statement, SPF said the two transactions were complete fabrications, concocted on Lim’s directions, and the discounting applications were supported by forged or fabricated documentation.

According to The Straits Times, Mr Singh told the High Court that there was no evidence that Lim had instructed Hin Leong staff to submit fraudulent documents to HSBC. 

CNA reported that Justice Hoo Sheau Peng adjourned the case to 14 November for arguments on the sentence issued to Lim.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 27 October, 2025