Ex-law prof in sex-for-grades case takes court action to reinstate PR status

[UPDATE on Thursday, 12 June at 11:00pm: Tey Tsun Hang now takes court action against Singapore government]

Former National University of Singapore (NUS) law professor Tey Tsun Hang has commenced court action against the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a bid to reinstate his permanent resident status.

A few days before Tey was charged at the Subordinate Courts in 2012 -- in a sex-for-grades case -- his re-entry permit renewal was cancelled, together with his daughter’s, he said in a statement e-mailed to the media on Thursday evening. Without a re-entry permit into Singapore, an individual would lose his permanent resident status once he steps out of the country. Since being acquitted of corruption charges earlier this year, Tey has been living in Malaysia and is unemployed. He is seeking for the re-entry permit to be reinstated.

Earlier on Tuesday, he had released court documents and a media statement announcing court action against his former employer. He is applying to be reinstated as a lecturer at the NUS law school.

In his statement, Tey, 43, said he was suspended by the university in a “breach of natural justice”, where his “right to a fair hearing was violated” on 27 July 2012, the day he was charged in court with corruption.

Further, he said, he was summarily dismissed by NUS on 28 May last year — the day he was found guilty and convicted of his charges — without giving him an opportunity to be heard and “without regard to due process”.

Calling NUS’s dismissal of him “illegal, irrational and procedurally improper”, Tey filed applications for two quashing orders against his suspension and dismissal, as well as one mandatory order for his reinstatement.

“The NUS jumped the gun,” he wrote in an affidavit filed in the High Court by his new legal counsel and human rights lawyer M Ravi. “In view of the appeal having been allowed on 28 February 2014, the NUS’ decision of summary dismissal on 28 May 2013 cannot stand, is void and of no legal effect.”

Tey stressed also that he was never called for any disciplinary hearing by the university; neither had he been served any charges from them.

The former law professor made headlines in Singapore two years ago, when news surfaced that he was being investigated for corruption. After going on trial, where details of his extra-marital affair with Darinne Ko, an ex-student of his, emerged, he was first convicted of his charges and sentenced to five months’ jail.

Tey served the time and left the country pending his appeal. The appeal, which was heard about five months later, and which was handled by lawyer Peter Low, was successful.

Responding to queries from Yahoo Singapore, a spokesperson for NUS said on Wednesday that the university has referred Tey's case to its lawyers.

The statement from the university pointed out, however, that terms and conditions of his appointment included a clause detailing that "termination may be effected without prior notice and without payment of any compensation should (Tey) be convicted by a court of law of any crime which in the opinion of the University is likely to bring NUS into disrepute".

"In addition, the University may exercise its rights of summary dismissal should (Tey) be guilty of misconduct or gross impropriety," it added. "While the Court has cleared (Tey) of the corruption charges, High Court Judge Woo Bih Li, in his judgment, noted that (Tey) abused his position as lecturer, took advantage of Ms Darinne Ko to satisfy his greed and lust, and breached NUS policies... NUS takes a very strong stand against faculty who behave in a grossly inappropriate manner in their interactions with our students."