CHEN SONGLIN MICHAEL v ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Q: Which legislation does [2023] SGHC 293 consider?

The judgment refers to Companies Act (Cap 50), Company Directors Disqualification Act, and Securities and Futures Act (Cap 289). The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

[2023] SGHC 293 High Court (General Division) 16 October 2023 HC/OA 561/2023 20 min read

4 cases cited (3 SG, 1 foreign)

Key facts

Court	High Court (General Division)
Decided	16 October 2023
Judge	Audrey Lim
Charges / claim	Companies
Counsel	Attorney-General's Chambers, Joseph Chen & Co, Au Wei Hoe, Chen Kok Siang Joseph, Olivia Low Pei Sze

Source: [2023] SGHC 293, High Court (General Division), decided 16 October 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Companies — Directors — Disqualification — Disqualification from acting as director under s 155(1) Companies Act 1967 — Whether applicant should be granted permission to act as director — Section 155(1) of the Companies Act 1967 — Factors to be considered

Practice Areas

Companies

Judges (1)

Audrey Lim Delivered

Counsel (5)

Attorney-General's Chambers Firm Joseph Chen & Co Firm Au Wei Hoe Counsel Respondent Chen Kok Siang Joseph Counsel Applicant Olivia Low Pei Sze Counsel Respondent

Parties (2)

Attorney-General Respondent Chen Songlin Michael Applicant

Case Significance

Chen Songlin Michael v Attorney-General [2023] SGHC 293 is a grounds of decision of Audrey Lim J in the General Division of the High Court, delivered on 16 October 2023 in Originating Application No 561 of 2023. Mr Chen, who holds 80 per cent of the shares in Eri Organisation Pte Ltd, applied for permission to act as a director and/or to manage a company under s 155(1) of the Companies Act 1967, having been disqualified from doing so. Audrey Lim J allowed the application, and set out the grounds for her decision together with the considerations to be applied when determining an application for permission under s 155 of the Companies Act.

[2023] SGHC 293 explained

CHEN SONGLIN MICHAEL v ATTORNEY-GENERAL ([2023] SGHC 293) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 16 October 2023. It is categorised under Companies. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.

What is [2023] SGHC 293 about?

CHEN SONGLIN MICHAEL v ATTORNEY-GENERAL ([2023] SGHC 293) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2023. Its published catchwords are “Companies — Directors — Disqualification — Disqualification from acting as director under s 155(1) Companies Act 1967 — Whether applicant should be granted permission to act as director — Section 155(1) of the Companies Act 1967 — Factors to be considered”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Which legislation does [2023] SGHC 293 consider?

The judgment refers to Companies Act (Cap 50), Company Directors Disqualification Act, and Securities and Futures Act (Cap 289). The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

Summary

Mr Chen Songlin Michael applied under s 155(1) of the Companies Act 1967 for permission to act as a director and manage a company, having been automatically disqualified for five years following his 2020 conviction on offences relating to nine companies' late annual returns. The application concerned the factors relevant to granting such permission, including necessity and demonstrated capacity for future compliance. The High Court granted him permission to act as a director and take part in the management of the company concerned.

What was Chen Songlin Michael v Attorney-General [2023] SGHC 293 about?

It was an application by Mr Chen before Audrey Lim J for permission to act as a director and manage a company under s 155(1) of the Companies Act 1967, following his disqualification, decided on 16 October 2023.

How did the court rule in [2023] SGHC 293?

Audrey Lim J allowed Mr Chen's application for permission to act as a director, and used the judgment to set out the considerations to be applied when determining an application for permission under s 155 of the Companies Act 1967.