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May 31, 2009 thesundaytimes

Rogues cost Law ROGUE LAWYERS

쐽 Junaini Mainin (far left), 46,
took $1.68 million from 12
clients over seven years. These

Society record sum included people of modest

backgrounds selling their family
homes. He was jailed in 2004.
The massive sum paid by the
Law Society in its last financial
year resulted from $595,000 to
two of his clients.
Compensation a growing concern manager, who lost $26,000 to Amin, look to the po-
쐽 Jailed in 2003, Daniel Loh
lice to nab the rogue.
with $631,000 paid in last financial “I am not resigned to the loss and hope to hear
(left), 41, filched $880,000 in
clients’ monies. The society
year to victims of lawyers’ fraud from the authorities at some point in time,” he said. paid $11,790 to victims of his.
vijayan@sph.com.sg
K. C. Vijayan
Law Correspondent

The Law Society paid out some $631,000 in its last

financial year to help victims of rogue lawyers.
The payout is a record 1,288 per cent jump from
the $45,481 spent in the previous financial year.
But this spike resulted mainly from $595,000 paid
to two clients, making this the largest sum ever paid
for a single case. The two had suffered losses from the
fraud of lawyer Junaini Mainin, 46, who was jailed for
seven years in 2004.
He had taken some $1.68 million from 12 clients
over a period of seven years. His victims included
those with modest backgrounds selling their family
homes. One was an elderly woman who wanted her
children to benefit from the sale of her house. Junaini
swiped some $790,000 from the sale.
From the remaining $36,000 disbursed by the Law
Society in its last financial year, $11,790 was compen-
sation for the fraud of rogue lawyer Daniel Loh, who
filched some $880,000 in clients’ monies. The
41-year-old was jailed for 41/2 years in 2003.
A Law Society spokesman explained that the funds
paid out are not meant to fully indemnify victims but
serve to relieve or mitigate their losses, as provided in
the Legal Profession Act. “Whether to make a grant
and the amount of a grant is a decision made by the
Council of the Law Society, having taken into ac-
count all the circumstances of the case.”
Senior lawyer Abdul Rashid Abdul Gani, chairman
of the seven-member committee which studies the
victims’ applications and puts up its recommenda-
tions to the Council, said a key consideration is the
“hardship” suffered. It is understood this refers espe-
cially to victims left in dire financial straits as a result
of the rogue lawyer’s fraud, as in the Junaini case.
Mr Rashid emphasised that the fund is meant to
compensate those who suffered from lawyer dishones-
ty, not professional negligence. Dishonesty extends
to the lawyer’s staff as well.
All practising lawyers contribute $100 annually to
the Compensation Fund.
Lawyers found negligent are covered under their
own firm’s insurance scheme, not the Society’s fund.
Meanwhile, compensation or redress has become
an increasing concern for victims. In the past few
years, a handful of rogue lawyers have fled with
record-breaking amounts: David Rasif fled with about
$12 million in 2006; Zulkifli Amin with more than $6
million in 2007; and Sivakolunthu Thirunavukarasu
with more than $1.5 million in 2004.
Two applications for compensation arising from
the dishonesty of Sivakolunthu were rejected by the
Law Society’s Council.
The Singapore-based American couple who lost
more than $11 million in a property deal entrusted to
Rasif also received no payout from the Law Society.
With compensation as a limited option, the Ameri-
can couple have sought redress in the courts here.
Their appeal against a failed suit involving the jew-
ellers who sold Rasif more than $2 million in gems is
expected to be heard by the Court of Appeal in July.
Their claim: Rasif used the stolen monies for the deal
before he fled.
Two victims of Amin have filed suits against his
former law firm and these are pending before the
courts. Four applications for compensation made by
clients of Amin were rejected, among others, by the
Law Society, according to its report for the period Sep-
tember 2007 to August last year.
Others like Mr John Sasayiah, 38, an operations

IN BRIEF

30,000 in bonding by the river

It was a day to remember for Luke when the
three-year-old joined his father, Dr Vivian
Balakrishnan, the Minister for Community
Development, Youth and Sports, for a
Singapore River cruise yesterday. The occasion
was the Family Day Out Carnival and more
than 30,000 people turned up. Held by the
river, the event was part of National Family
Celebrations ‘09.

PHOTO: ASIA PR WERKZ

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and son Luke enjoy a cruise
with (second row) MPs Seah Kian Peng and
Josephine Teo, who are part of the National
Family Celebrations’ organising committee.

40% more seek social assistance

Between April last year and March this year,
the North West Community Development
Council received 11,500 applications for social
assistance. This is a 40 per cent increase from
the previous financial year.
Dr Teo Ho Pin, mayor of North West
District, reported these figures during his
address to 350 community leaders who
attended the North West District Meeting at
Republic Polytechnic yesterday.