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A continuation of the True Fitness case. Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) reports that they received 1,610 complaints involving nearly S$3.82 million in reported prepayment losses following the fitness businesses’ closures.

The association also noted that consumers are generally treated as unsecured creditors when a business enters liquidation. Their prepaid funds are therefore not necessarily protected, and lodging a claim does not guarantee that they will recover the full amount.

CASE is now calling for mandatory safeguards on prepaid packages.

SingaporeLegalAdvice has partnered with lawyer Jowen Siew to host a Reddit AMA on 9-10 October! Jowen mainly deals with commercial and family disputes, with a specialisation in cryptocurrency.

He is also fluent in Thai and when he is not dealing with cases in Singapore, he works on Thai-related legal matters like private wealth management for high net worth individuals.

He’s happy to share his experience so please mark your calendars, join in the AMA and ask your most burning questions!

Gabriel Foong Shi Cheng, a 32-year-old Singaporean, was charged on Wednesday (Oct 7) with murdering a 73-year-old man at a void deck in Telok Blangah two days earlier.

No details on how the alleged murder was committed were given. Foong will be remanded for a psychiatric assessment to determine if he had any abnormality of mind that substantially impaired his mental responsibility for the acts.

A man was stunned when a boy peeked over the wall, into his toilet cubicle at Oasis Terraces. According to him, there were at least 2 children in the neighbouring cubicle and had overheard them mentioning 'Just take photo and run'.

Of course, children being children may not know what they are doing is wrong. However, it doesn't excuse that they made a mistake and it is also worrying that these voyeuristic ideas have already been implanted in their minds. What do you think? Are children nowadays more daring to commit crimes?

The infamous case of the Tampines crash that killed a junior college student and a 57-year-old woman has come to an end. The driver, Muhammad Syafie Ismail, 45, who caused a fatal chain collision in Tampines in 2024 that killed two people was sentenced to 12 years and nine months jail and was also banned from driving for life on Oct 5.

In sentencing Syafie, Principal District Judge Toh Han Li said the jail term imposed was commensurate with the offences he had committed, and was not crushing on him. What do you think? Should the punishment fit the offence directly, or should the punishment be more harsh considering the innocent lives lost?

Have you ever wondered how much a Singapore Judge earns?

In Singapore, a judges' salary is covered under the Judges' Remuneration Act 1994, and the salaries are decided by the Minister through orders published in the Government Gazette. Currently, the annual pensionable salaries are as follows:

Chief Justice: $347,400

Justice of Court of Appeal: $253,200

Judge of the Appellate Division: $244,200

Judge of the High Court: $234,600

However, this is not the is not the same thing as their total annual remuneration, as their remuneration package includes 6 components:

1. Gross monthly salary (including fixed and variable components);

2. Annual Variable Component (AVC);

3. Non-Pensionable Annual Allowance (NPAA);

4. Performance Bonus (PB);

5. National Bonus (NB) and;

6. Judiciary Allowance.

Except for the Judiciary Allowance and the fixed monthly salary components, the other components may vary depending on economic conditions and individual performance. However, the amounts for the other components are not publicly disclosed.

Another unfortunate case of a workplace accident, marking a second in recent news. It begs the question, what laws are there in place to protect workers' safety? Find out in the comments below!

A first-time offender convicted of animal cruelty can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $40,000, or both. In this case, you would expect someone professional to take care of the dog. However, the negligence in handling the dog caused its death, after the dog was allegedly left unattended for about 1.5 hours. Since the accused is expected to plead guilty, he probably won't get the maximum punishment. Do you think he is getting off too lightly?

It is saddening to see 2 actors that are familiar faces to many Singaporeans being involved in illegal public assemblies, this one being about the abolishment of the death penalty. Although they have broken the law, perhaps they make a valid point in fighting for abolishing the death penalty. What do you think? Should the death penalty be abolished, or should it be a possible punishment for more crimes?

Based on what the man alleges, it seems like it was a real and egregious case of taking advantange of an elderly woman. Using dinner, free products and cheaper packages to lure her in, before directly accessing her mobile banking app and essentially doing whatever they want. Scams can happen to anyone and the culprit can be anyone too. Investigations are still on-going, but definitely news to keep up with in the upcoming months. What do you think of the whole situation?

A disturbing post that highlights how anyone can be a victim of crime anywhere and at anytime, even in broad daylight in public. This behaviour may develop into something more serious, but even if it doesn't, it is still worrying to see the audacity of the culprits. Does this evidence that Singapore's laws on sexual offences work more to punish than to deter?

Another hit to the collapsing car rental company, Autobahn Rent A Car. With the increase in private-hire demand and leasing services, like car rental and sharing, do you think policy changes are overdue to protect consumers? And should the law be harsher on these companies?

Another update on the assets being liquidated from the money laundering case. A further 80 over properties will be put up for sale from September to mid-2027. Do you think there'll be takers for the other properties? Would you consider one, knowing the backstory of the property?

"While the audit did not find evidence of deliberate financial impropriety or an intentional cover-up, it nevertheless identified significant failings in leadership, workplace culture and governance during the relevant period," said Mr Tong in parliament in August.

Workplace issues can arise anytime and is not peculiar to any industry. However, when it is reported to have happened in an industry where credibility is important, especially to the professional and statutory representative body for all practising lawyers in Singapore (LawSoc), does the audit and investigations damage the reputation of the Singapore legal industry?

The best time to involve a lawyer is usually before committing funds, especially for private or non-standard token investments such as a pre-sale or a private placement. At this stage, a lawyer’s role is largely one of legal due diligence – verifying who the investor is actually dealing with, and what they can lawfully do.

Existing political office holders will receive a one-off adjustment of up to 9% from 15 October 2026, depending on individual circumstances, including performance and when their salaries were last adjusted.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is the main regulator of cryptocurrency in Singapore. The core statute is the Payment Services Act 2019 (PSA). Commencing in January 2020, MAS's remit was expanded to include new payment services such as digital payment token services. It mandates that firms that buy, sell, exchange or transmit digital payment tokens in Singapore require a license from MAS. As of now, crypto isn't legal tender in Singapore, where the Singapore dollar is, but it can be used as an alternative means of payment on some websites. Do you think crypto can be the future? What else do you know about crypto?

The Online Safety Commission (OSC) is a government body that helps victims of five types of online harm: online harassment (including sexual harassment), doxxing, online stalking, intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse. Set up under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025, the OSC will also gradually expand its coverage onto all 13 categories of online harms under the law, including online impersonation, inauthentic material abuse and statements that harm a person's reputation.

Victims of any crime will have to first report it to the host platform. If after 24 hours there is no reply or no satisfactory reply, victims may file a report through the OSC website for free. Victims must be Singaporean or a Permanent Resident, or have a prescribed connection to Singapore and will have to provide details to the OSC, in the form of screenshots or recordings and URLs. OSC then has the authority to issue directions.

“These directions may be issued to the person who posted the harmful content, the administrator of the online group or page where the harmful content appears or the platform hosting content,” OSC and the ministries said.

For example, the commissioner may direct that access to the harmful content be disabled or that the perpetrator’s account be restricted. Non-compliance with a direction is a criminal offence.

Eligible individuals who disagree with the commissioner's decision may apply for reconsideration within 14 days, with no fees charged. The commissioner may affirm, revoke, vary or substitute the initial decision. and they can file a further appeal if they are still unsatisfied within 14 days for S$200.

Under the new law, victims of online harms may also bring civil claims in court through new statutory torts, covering the same five online harms in the first phase.

With some evidence of the utility of the OSC, do you think it is enough to combat online harms and protect our people, especially the younger generations?

Another case where a contractor goes missing, the client's money is gone and the home is left hanging. Is Singapore law lacking in this regard, or are the legal ramifications just not effective? What can be done if the company just goes into liquidation?

Every child abuse case is one case too many. Unfortunately, only when things happen will there be change. However, this is a good step into preventing and stopping child abuse, what more do you think can be done?