For “misconduct unbefitting an advocate and solicitor,” human rights Lawyer M. Ravi was fined $7,000 by the Council of the Law Society of Singapore.
This penalty, which comes under the Legal Profession Act, was imposed as Mr Ravi had, in his capacity as the advocate and solicitor for several plaintiffs, “prematurely released various court documents relating to the legal proceedings before they were served on the opposing party”.
Mr Ravi was also charged for making statements to the media which were “calculated to interfere with the fair proceedings or trial of the legal proceedings”.
The incidents happened when Mr Ravi was representing Mr Wee Kim San in his case for constitutional protection against discriminations of homosexuals in the workplace, and during a judicial review against the deportation of a foreign worker who was involved in the Little India riot in December 2013.
A disciplinary tribunal, appointed by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon to look into possible misconduct, recommended the penalty.The tribunal comprised of Senior Counsel Giam Chin Toon and lawyer Gina Lee-Wan.
Mr Ravi has pleaded guilty to all of the seven charges levied against him. The tribunal had recommended a $1,000 fine for each charge, for a total of $7,000. He was also ordered by the tribunal to pay to pay $3,000 in costs to the Law Society.
