WWLegal.com :: Former High Court Judge Lai Kew Chai Dies of Cancer

Former High Court Judge Lai Kew Chai Dies of Cancer
Posted on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 12:00 AM

Former High Court Judge Lai Kew Chai has died on 27 February 2006 at the age of 65. The late Mr Lai, who had just retired on 7th February 2006, suffered from cancer.

He was appointed to the High Court in 1981 at the age of 40, making him the youngest judge to be appointed to the High Court in Singapore. Prior to this, he had been in private practice for 13 years.

In a career spanning 25 years on the Bench, he heard many high-profile cases. In the 1992 Pertamina corruption case, the late Mr Lai's decision to allow the Indonesian petroluem giant's claims against a former staff, Ahmed Thahir, became a landmark decision in the Commonwealth. He had rejected an English legal authority on the law of corruption which had been followed for over a century in England and the Commonwealth.

Mr Lai also made many contributions to the legal scene, serving as the Chairman of the Board of Legal Education from 1981 to 1993, and as Vice-President of the Law Society from 1979 to 1981.

He left behind his wife, Dorothy, and two children - Stanley, 37, and Amy, 33 - both of whom are lawyers, and two granddaughters.

The late Mr Lai will be missed by the fraternity.

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