S'pore lawyers call for Law Society VP Chia Boon Teck to apologise & step down over comments on recent rape case

Several lawyers in Singapore urged senior lawyer Chia Boon Teck to explain and apologise over his now-deleted LinkedIn post on the rape conviction of former Wah!Banana actor Lev Panfilov.

A few even called for Chia's resignation from the Law Society of Singapore, where he serves as the vice president.

In his Mar. 23 post, Chia questioned the victim's testimony of the rape and made several jabs at her.

One such comment was to describe her as "not exactly a babe in the woods", citing that she was a 30-year-old actress and model.

Chia's comments drew criticisms from Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam, who wrote in a Mar. 24 Facebook post that "shaming and blaming victims steps over the line" and that "misogyny should have no place" in Singapore society.

The Law Society also released a statement in response to Chia's post, stating that it is "giving this matter serious consideration in line with [its] internal protocols and, in accordance with due process, will take further steps as appropriate."

Called to explain or step down

One lawyer who criticised Chia's post is Stefanie Yuen Thio, the joint managing partner of TSMP Law Corporation, who invited Chia "to explain himself to the legal fraternity".

"Absent an acceptable explanation, he should step down from Council of the Law Society," said Yuen Thio in a LinkedIn post.

In the comments section, Shashi Nathan, the joint manager partner of WithersKhattarWong LLP and leading criminal lawyer, praised Yuen Thio for her response and echoed her sentiments.

"Well said. [Chia] should step down immediately," wrote Nathan.

In a subsequent post, Yuen Thio said that she doesn't know Chia personally but he "needs to be removed" in his capacity as an office holder.

In response to Yuen Thio's post, lawyer Subramaniam Thirumeni also expressed shock at Chia's comments, adding that they were "not what [he] expect from any lawyer let alone an office bearer in the Law Society". He urged for an explanation and "perhaps even resignation".

Chia, who was admitted to the Singapore bar 30 years ago in 1995, is currently the co-managing director of Chia Wong Chambers LLC.

According to the law firm, he was elected vice president of the Law Society of Singapore in August 2023.

Chia's earlier response

In response to Lianhe Zaobao's queries on Mar. 24 morning, Chia said that as a criminal lawyer, he has long offered comments and views on criminal cases.

Concurrently, he has also discussed how such incidents could be prevented, as relying solely on legal means may not be sufficient to solve the problem.

According to Chia, he made the LinkedIn post as a reminder for everyone to "raise [their] situational awareness" so that they will not be violated or wrongfully accused.

He also emphasised that the comments "were not to blame any party".

Instead, they were meant to "remind people to pay attention to situation awareness", "help them better protect themselves in social situations", and "understand the risks in the real world", rather than shirking responsibility.

Mothership has also reached out to Chia for comments.

Top images via Stefanie Yuen Thio/LinkedIn, Chia Wong Chambers LLC, & Nigel Chua/Mothership