UNITED KINGDOM: Charles Yeo, a former Singaporean politician and lawyer who is currently seeking asylum in the UK, recently claimed that the Singaporean government has filed an extradition request for his return from the UK.

In a post on his Instagram account, “toxicstatenarrativeinsg”, Yeo said the extradition request was filed on Sunday, October 27.

On Monday, he elaborated in another Instagram post, explaining that his lawyers informed him that morning of formal extradition proceedings initiated by the Singapore government.

He said he expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court with his legal counsel to challenge extradition.

Yeo said he is represented by highly skilled lawyers who can effectively counter the Singapore government’s attempts to “fix” him.

He defended his position, saying that he had done nothing wrong and that the Singapore government would not get off lightly in this matter.

The Online Citizen contacted the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to confirm whether an extradition request had been filed, but had not received a response at the time of reporting.

Charles Yeo seeks political asylum in the UK amid Singapore prosecution

In July 2022, Yeo, then 31, jumped bail and sought asylum in the UK, citing persecution and imprisonment in Singapore.

Notably, no extradition request for Yeo had previously been filed, despite Singapore having issued one warrant for Yeo’s arrest in August 2022.

He is recognized among the list of human rights activists and lawyers at risk identified by various UN rapporteurs, representing individuals on death row.

Yeo was among the Reform Party (RP) candidates, including leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam, Andy Zhu Lai Cheng, Soh Guan Soon and Noraini Yunus, who contested Ang Mo Kio GRC during GE2020.

The PAP team, led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Gan Thiam Poh, Darryl David, Nadia Ahmad Samdin and Ng Ling Ling, secured the GRC seat with 71.91% of the vote.

On January 12, 2022, Yeo was custodyalong with another person, for alleged criminal breach of trust and misrepresentation regarding clients of his law firm.

Later, on 19 January 2022, he was charged with hurting the religious sentiments of the Christian community and harassing a police officer through social media posts.

Prior to these charges, he posted a series of Instagram stories on his Instagram account between November 3, 2020 and January 11, 2021, targeting a police officer in the line of duty.

He faces a total of six charges in Singapore, including uttering words to hurt religious feelings, attempting to do so twice and making abusive or threatening communication to a public servant under the Protection from Harassment Act.

Following his accusations, Yeo claimed he was “facing politically motivated persecution” aimed at his imprisonment or exile.

In July 2022, the Court of Appeal ordered lawyer Charles Yeo to pay $4,000 in personal costs to the Attorney General (AG).

The order came after Yeo and Malaysian non-profit Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) unsuccessfully challenged the death sentences of two drug traffickers.

He was granted permission by the court to travel from July 27-30, 2022 to Vietnam to meet with a witness for work purposes.

On July 31, he announced Instagram his “painful” decision to seek political asylum in the UK.

He clarified that he did not choose to hide in a “sheltered, remote and lawless country” because an innocent person would not do so.

Instead, he opted for Britain to witness how the AGC presented its case in what he perceived to be an “impartial legal system not controlled by the PAP”.

The Singaporean authorities subsequently issued a arrest warrant against him.

Charles Yeo held in contempt for Instagram posts allegedly undermining the integrity of Singapore’s judiciary

In November 2022, Yeo appeared at a court hearing in Singapore via a Zoom call and was convicted of contempt of court for scandalizing the judiciary.

It’s about two Instagram stories he posted on March 14, 2022, where he expressed his displeasure over a dispute with fellow lawyer Joseph Chen.

The AG received permission from the High Court on May 10 to proceed with a default proceeding against Yeo, and the relevant documents were served on him on May 17.

The AG sought the contempt sentence against Yeo, arguing that his Instagram stories undermined the integrity and impartiality of Singapore’s courts, and expressed concern that these actions posed a risk to public confidence in Singapore’s administration of justice.

Yeo is understood to have been fined $20,000 in January 2023 and ordered to pay $16,000 in court costs and payments to the AG.

Charles Yeo’s extradition request follows news of Lee Hsien Yang and wife being granted refugee status in the UK

The extradition request for Yeo coincided with breaking news that former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s brother Lee Hsien Yang (LHY) and his wife Lee Suet Fern were he was granted refugee status in the UK, two years after leaving Singapore.

IN A exclusive interview with The GuardianLHY claims his departure was prompted by what he describes as a campaign of his own political persecution by the Singapore government uunder his brother’s administration.

He accused Singaporean authorities of using legal action and investigations to intimidate and repress him and his family.

The Singapore government, however, has denied these allegations.

A government spokesman denied Lee’s claimsstating that Singapore has a robust legal system designed to combat corruption and illicit financial flows.

The spokesperson highlighted Singapore’s strong performance in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, where the country ranks well above the UK.

“No one is above the law in Singapore, including the descendants of the founding prime minister,” the spokesman added.