Not Allowed to Apply for a New Passport Before Its Expiry – by Tan Siong Thye JC
On 3 June 2013 – the day of sentencing – the Chief District Judge, due to the objection of the Prosecution, ordered that Tey was not allowed to apply for a new passport as a condition of bail pending appeal.
Tey’s passport was due to expire in December 2013. With the imposed condition, Tey was placed in a serious quandary. If he waited for his appeal while on bail, he would be travelling out of Singapore with an expired passport, incurring serious criminal liability and a possible deprivation of a new passport from Malaysia.
Tey had no choice but to commence serving the imprisonment term on 26 June 2013 pending appeal, so that he had the certainty of being able to travel out of Singapore before his passport expiry.
On 3 June 2013 – the day of sentencing – the Chief District Judge, due to the objection of the Prosecution, ordered that Tey was not allowed to apply for a new passport as a condition of bail pending appeal.
Tey’s passport was due to expire in December 2013. With the imposed condition, Tey was placed in a serious quandary. If he waited for his appeal while on bail, he would be travelling out of Singapore with an expired passport, incurring serious criminal liability and a possible deprivation of a new passport from Malaysia.
Tey had no choice but to commence serving the imprisonment term on 26 June 2013 pending appeal, so that he had the certainty of being able to travel out of Singapore before his passport expiry.
