Stefanie Yuen Thio quoted in South China Morning Post: “Singapore’s Iswaran case a ‘wake-up call’, spotlights potential grey areas on gifts”

CLOSE

Directory

Thio Shen Yi, SC

Joint Managing Partner

Litigation

Stefanie Yuen Thio

Joint Managing Partner

Corporate

Derek Loh

Partner

Litigation

Jennifer Chia

Partner

Corporate

Melvin Chan

Partner

Litigation

Ian Lim

Partner

Litigation

June Ho

Partner

Corporate

Kelvin Koh

Partner

Litigation

Ong Pei Ching

Partner

Litigation

Mark Jacobsen

Partner

Corporate

Felicia Tan

Partner

Litigation

Leon Lim

Partner

Corporate

Nanthini Vijayakumar

Partner

Litigation

Jeffrey Chan, SC

Senior Director

Litigation

Prof Tang Hang Wu, PhD

Consultant

Litigation

Prof Hans Tjio

Consultant

Corporate

Tania Chin

Director

Litigation

Mijung Kim

Director

Litigation

Raeza Ibrahim

Director

Litigation

Nicholas Ngo

Associate Director

Litigation

Kevin Elbert

Associate Director

Litigation

Benjamin Bala

Associate Director

Litigation

Vu Lan Nguyen

Associate Director

Litigation

Stephanie Chew

Associate Director

Litigation

Ernest Low

Associate Director

Corporate

Brenda Chow

Associate Director

Corporate

Heather Chong

Associate Director

Corporate

Nicole Lee

Associate Director

Corporate

Tay Quan Li

Senior Associate

Litigation

Lyn Toh Leng

Senior Associate

Corporate

Angela Chai Rui Min

Senior Associate

Litigation

Arthur Chin Yen Bing

Senior Associate

Litigation

Joshua Phang Shih Ern

Senior Associate

Litigation

Chow Jian Hui

Senior Associate

Corporate

Claudia Hui Ru Jun

Senior Associate

Corporation

R. Arvindren

Senior Associate

Litigation

Chia Wan Lu

Senior Associate

Litigation

Lau Tin Yi

Senior Associate

Corporate

Phoon Wuei

Senior Associate

Litigation

Terence Yeo

Senior Associate

Litigation

Juliana Lake

Senior Associate

Litigation

Sabrina Lim Su Ping

Senior Associate

Corporate

Kashib Shareef bin Ahmad Hussain

Associate

Corporate

Sherlyn Lim Li Xuan

Associate

Litigation

Kimberly Ng

Associate

Litigation

Vanessa Cheong Shu Qi

Associate

Corporate

Ryan Yap Cheah Jin

Associate

Litigation

Ang Kai Le

Associate

Litigation

Glenn Ng Qiheng

Associate

Litigation

Isaac Tay Zhuo Yan

Associate

Litigation

Markus Low Yu Wen

Associate

Corporate

Stasia Ong Pei Qi

Associate

Litigation

Sarah Kim Mun Jeong

Associate

Litigation

Yang Hai Kun

Associate

Corporate

Nicole Sim

Associate

Litigation

Ryan Ang

Associate

Corporate

Juvy Pang

Associate

Corporate

John Thomas George

Associate

Litigation

Pearlie Peh

Associate

Litigation

Arvind Soundararajan

Associate

Corporate

Perl Choo

Associate

Litigation

News

21 October 2024

Stefanie Yuen Thio quoted in South China Morning Post: “Singapore’s Iswaran case a ‘wake-up call’, spotlights potential grey areas on gifts”

Features Stefanie Yuen Thio

Stefanie Yuen Thio was quoted in South China Morning Post by Jean Lau.

In the article on the Iswaran case and Section 165, Stefanie is quoted saying that if an individual is hired for a full-time public service job, it is certain that these restrictions apply to them. However, for someone in the private sector giving up time to take on public service appointments, there are more grey areas.

The article mentioned how Stefanie had also been invited to serve on a panel in an unpaid, voluntary capacity and would thus be considered a “public servant”, but did not wish to disclose the name of the panel. While many private sector firms have clear guidelines on gift-giving, she noted that Section 165 lacked similar clarity in defining the length and breadth of the provisions, especially if a potential jail term is attached.

She shared that many in the private sector would be happy to volunteer time and expertise and undertake these roles out of a sense of national service, but there needs to be clarity as to where they come within the restrictions applied to public servants. The lack of clarity could deter people from the private sector from taking on public roles, especially since the giving and receiving of meals and small presents such as wine over Christmas or a Lunar New Year hamper are commonplace in the business world.