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Former S'pore oil tycoon OK Lim hospitalised with breathing difficulties 3 days before 13.5-year jail sentence starts
He was scheduled to begin serving his sentence on Apr. 1.
March 31, 2026, 01:39 PM
Three days before he is set to begin a 13.5-year prison sentence on Apr. 1, former oil tycoon OK Lim was hospitalised with breathing difficulties.
Lim's son, Evan Lim Chee Meng, told The Straits Times that the family had found the 84-year-old "disoriented in the study, mumbling he has difficulty breathing".
It happened at around 10am on Mar. 28, and the family rushed him to the hospital's emergency department that day, Evan told Shin Min Daily News the next day.
At the hospital, Lim still appeared disoriented, the son added.
"Although he is responsive, he is not very clear-headed. We are still waiting for the doctor's report, and will need to wait to talk to the doctor on Mar. 30 before we can understand the cause of his illness and when he can be discharged from the hospital."
Prison sentence was cut
The founder of the collapsed oil trading firm Hin Leong Trading, Lim, was originally sentenced in November 2024 to 17.5 years in prison over a cheating case involving at least S$150 million.
He appealed against his conviction and sentence, and the latter was allowed on Mar. 4, 2026, CNA reported.
His sentence was reduced to 13.5 years.
The High Court judge said that the original sentence, when considering his age and the fact that he was unlikely to reoffend, was crushing, even with remission.
Lim's lawyer requested a medical appointment for the ex-tycoon as he had a fall late in 2025, and now has difficulty focusing visually.
The lawyer also called for judicial mercy to be exercised, citing the case of Ong Beng Seng, who has advanced multiple myeloma.
The judge, however, said Lim's case was not an exceptional one to warrant judicial mercy as Ong's was, and that the prisons would make arrangements to manage his fall risk.
Waiting for doctor's report
Asked if Lim will begin serving his sentence as scheduled on Apr. 1, his son told Shin Min he will decide whether to submit any applications to the court after talking to the doctor.
"He is old, and his health was not good even in the past — he also has difficulty walking," Evan said.
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