Who’s Bankrolling the Legal Drama?
The Workers’ Party (WP) town councillors, entangled in multi‑million‑dollar lawsuits over alleged improper payments, have pulled together a tidal wave of cash—nearly $480,000—to keep fighting their legal battles.
Big Numbers, Big Campaign
- $477,653 raised from 2,832 generous donors as of 10 pm Thursday (Oct 25).
- Already spent close to $600,000 out of pocket, dipping into savings and friends’ help.
- “We’ve depleted our personal resources,” the trio (Sylvia Lim, Pritam Singh, Low Thia Khiang) admit.
- Need more cash to fight the case and avoid potential bankruptcy.
The Quick Splash
Within a few hours of launching their online appeal on Wednesday night, the three MPs collected at least $65,000. Donors could contribute via bank transfer, cheque, or Ms. Lim’s PayNow account, and were asked to leave an email so they could say thanks.
WP’s Good‑Faith Statement
In a Friday morning Facebook post, WP clarified that the fundraising is a private effort—“not raising funds for them” and urging the public to stay wary of anyone claiming to be a WP representative. The post warned supporters against using the Workers’ Party logo or making any claims of official representation in their personal fund‑raising.
The Legal Backstage
The trio and two other town councillors are facing two lawsuits over a whopping $33.7 million in alleged improper payments. One is brought by Aljunied‑Hougang Town Council under an independent panel’s directive, and the other by Pasir Ris‑Punggol Town Council.
- They’re accused of breaching fiduciary duties and need to repay the alleged improper payments.
- Represented by Senior Counsel Chelva Rajah of Tan, Rajah & Cheah.
- The High Court trial began on Oct 5 and is set to wrap up on Nov 2.
While the court drama unfolds, the WP councillors strike community fundraising like a bucket‑brigade—turning their fans into a flurry of donors, one bank transfer at a time.
