Two leading remisiers to face off in court

Protection order granted to one, pre-trial conference fixed for Feb 16

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Two leading remisiers to face off in court

Protection order granted to one, pre-trial conference fixed for Feb 16

Rachel Boon, Straits Times
10 February 2015

Two leading remisiers have had such a bitter falling out that legal action is brewing.

Mr Vincent Khoo from OCBC Securities told The Straits Times yesterday that he has been granted a protection order against fellow remisier Andy Tan of UOB Securities.

He has also filed a Magistrate’s Complaint against Mr Tan and a pre-trial conference has been fixed for Feb 16.

A protection order directs an alleged harasser to stop the behaviour while a Magistrate’s Complaint lets the court decide if an offence has been committed.

Mr Khoo said the protection order stems from Mr Tan’s responses and actions in recent months.

Trouble has been brewing for some time and centres on the Society of Remisiers Singapore (SRS). Mr Tan is on the society’s executive committee and is its publications secretary. Mr Khoo was publications secretary from 2009 to 2013.

It was reported last month that Mr Khoo had been informed by the SRS late last year by letter that his membership was under review.

He was told last week to front up at a hearing on Friday to explain why he should not be suspended or expelled.

Mr Khoo told The Straits Times yesterday that he had e-mailed SRS executive committee members asking for an explanation. He said there was no reply from anyone but Mr Tan, and Mr Khoo felt his responses constituted harassment.

Mr Khoo was also singled out in the SRS’ December newsletter, which stated that he was the only member whose membership was under review but there was no explanation as to why.

“I am a longstanding member. I told the judge that it’s not fair, and putting my name up in a newly created category with no explanation at all, is trying to humiliate me. The order states that SRS cannot print any more of such things in this newsletter or elsewhere.”

More tension arose last month when the society’s executive committee alleged that Mr Khoo violated its constitution.

The root cause appears to be Mr Khoo’s rebuttals of SRS’ press statements in recent years.

On Nov 12 last year, for example, the SRS and Mr Khoo had letters published in The Business Times about ways to improve the stock market.

SRS president Jimmy Ho wrote that he was critical of Singapore Exchange (SGX) moves to reduce speculation in the local market while Mr Khoo backed the SGX’s reforms.

The SRS in its letter to Mr Khoo late last year also said that there had been other incidents that served to “belittle, discredit or run down the integrity and standing of the SRS”.

Mr Khoo had said that letters to the press are written in his own personal capacity and not as an SRS member.

He is also angry that he has been given only a week to prepare for Friday’s review and that the SRS has not provided the evidence for allegations made against him. “They (SRS) are in a position of power but they don’t treat me as a proper member. Even before deciding the status of my membership, they took away my privileges.”

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