PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v Soh Chee Wen & Quah Su-Ling

[2023] SGHC 299 High Court (General Division) 24 October 2023 HC/CC 9/2019 1285 min read
67 cases cited (62 SG, 5 foreign) Cited by 6 cases

Outcome

Acquitted

I acquitted the accused persons of eight charges.

Source: [2023] SGHC 299, High Court (General Division), decided 24 October 2023. Read directly from the judgment.

Key facts

Court High Court (General Division)
Decided
Judge Hoo Sheau Peng
Charges / claim Criminal Law, Agency, Insolvency Law, Evidence, Banking, Criminal Procedure and Sentencing, Financial and Securities Markets
Outcome Acquitted

Source: [2023] SGHC 299, High Court (General Division), decided — eLitigation. Updated .

Catchwords

Criminal Law — Criminal conspiracy Agency — Implied authority of agent Agency — Classes of agents — Brokers Insolvency Law — Bankruptcy — Offences Evidence — Proof of evidence — Presumptions Criminal Law — Offences — Property — Cheating Evidence — Witnesses — Privilege — Litigation Banking — Lending and security — Stocks and shares Evidence — Witnesses — Privilege — Plea negotiations Agency — Principal — Attribution of knowledge and acts Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Charge — Amendment Evidence — Witnesses — Impeaching witnesses’ credibility Criminal Law — Offences — Perverting the course of justice Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Disclosure — Statements Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Disclosure — Timeliness Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Statements — Conditioned Evidence — Adverse inferences — Election not to give defence Financial and Securities Markets — Securities — False trading Criminal Law — Statutory Offences — Securities and Futures Act Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Disclosure — Representations Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Complex schemes Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Trials — Stay of proceedings Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Execution — Stay Agency — Duties of agent — Compliance with regulatory requirements Financial and Securities Markets — Securities — Price manipulation Financial and Securities Markets — Securities — Deceptive practices Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Criminal conspiracy Agency — Third party and principal’s relations — Contractual relations Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Charge — Particulars — Sufficiency Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Trials — Alleged prosecutorial delay Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Trials — Length of trial — Prejudice

Practice Areas

Criminal Law Agency Insolvency Law Evidence Banking Criminal Procedure and Sentencing Financial and Securities Markets

Judges (1)

Hoo Sheau Peng Delivered

Parties (3)

Public Prosecutor Plaintiff Quah Su-Ling Defendant Soh Chee Wen Defendant

Case Significance

Public Prosecutor v Soh Chee Wen and another [2023] SGHC 299 is a grounds of decision of Hoo Sheau Peng J in the General Division of the High Court, delivered on 24 October 2023 in Criminal Case No 9 of 2019. The Public Prosecutor brought charges against Soh Chee Wen and Quah Su-Ling arising from an alleged securities scheme, engaging criminal conspiracy, cheating and perverting the course of justice, together with false trading, price manipulation and deceptive practices offences under the Securities and Futures Act. The judgment also canvasses agency and evidential questions such as attribution of a principal's knowledge and acts and adverse inferences from an election not to give evidence, without the excerpt disclosing the verdict or sentence.

[2023] SGHC 299 explained

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v Soh Chee Wen & Quah Su-Ling ([2023] SGHC 299) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 24 October 2023. It is categorised under Criminal Law, Agency, Insolvency Law, Evidence, Banking, Criminal Procedure and Sentencing, and Financial and Securities Markets. Within this corpus it has since been cited by 6 other reported Singapore judgments, a measure of how often later decisions have referred to it. 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 299 about?

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v Soh Chee Wen & Quah Su-Ling ([2023] SGHC 299) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2023. Its published catchwords are “Criminal Law — Criminal conspiracy”, “Agency — Implied authority of agent”, “Agency — Classes of agents — Brokers”, and “Insolvency Law — Bankruptcy — Offences”, 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 299 consider?

The judgment refers to Business Registration Act (Cap 32), Business Registration Act, COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, and Civil Defence Act (Cap 42), among other provisions. The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

How influential is [2023] SGHC 299?

Within this corpus, [2023] SGHC 299 has been cited by 6 later reported Singapore judgments. That count reflects references from other decisions held in this corpus only and is a conservative lower bound on how often the case has actually been cited.

What was Public Prosecutor v Soh Chee Wen [2023] SGHC 299 about?

It was a High Court criminal case before Hoo Sheau Peng J in which the Public Prosecutor charged Soh Chee Wen and Quah Su-Ling with criminal conspiracy, cheating and securities offences, with grounds of decision delivered on 24 October 2023.

What legal issues did [2023] SGHC 299 involve?

The case engaged criminal conspiracy, cheating, perverting the course of justice and Securities and Futures Act offences of false trading, price manipulation and deceptive practices, alongside agency questions on attribution of a principal's knowledge and adverse inferences from silence.

Statutes Cited

Business Registration Act (Cap 32) Cases on this Act →
s 26(1)
Civil Defence Act (Cap 42)
s 54(1)
Companies Act (Cap 50) Cases on this Act →
s 148(1)
COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act Cases on this Act →
Criminal Law Reform Act Cases on this Act →
s 36
Criminal Procedure Code (Cap 68) Cases on this Act →
s 264(1)
Evidence Act (Cap 97) Cases on this Act →
s 126(1) s 133 s 147(3) s 47(2)
Indian Penal Code (Cap 224) Cases on this Act →
s 415
Misuse of Drugs Act (Cap 185) Cases on this Act →
s 12
Penal Code (Cap 224) Cases on this Act →
s 109 s 116 s 120A s 120A(1) s 120B s 204A s 24 s 415 s 420 s 511 s 511(1)
Penal Code as the Prevention of Corruption Act (Cap 224) Cases on this Act →
s 116
Police Force Act (Cap 235) Cases on this Act →
s 38(1)
Prevention of Corruption Act (Cap 241) Cases on this Act →
s 31
Securities and Futures Act (Cap 289) Cases on this Act →
s 197(1)(b) s 201(b)

Cases Cited (67)

SG (9)
[1994] SGCA 102 [2004] SGHC 68 [2005] SGHC 195 [2012] SGDC 141 [2013] SGHC 136 [2017] SGDC 11 [2019] SGDC 48 [2020] SGDC 157 [2021] SGDC 53
SLR (53)
[1992] 1 SLR(R) 219 [1992] 3 SLR(R) 812 [1994] 1 SLR(R) 681 [1995] 3 SLR(R) 746 [1997] 2 SLR(R) 946 [1997] 3 SLR(R) 227 [1998] 3 SLR(R) 619 [1999] 1 SLR(R) 1665 [1999] 1 SLR(R) 826 [2000] 1 SLR(R) 756 [2000] 2 SLR(R) 785 [2000] 2 SLR(R) 904 [2001] 2 SLR(R) 515 [2002] 2 SLR(R) 1040 [2003] 1 SLR(R) 410 [2003] 3 SLR(R) 57 [2004] 3 SLR(R) 203 [2006] 4 SLR(R) 653 [2007] 1 SLR(R) 913 [2007] 4 SLR(R) 753 [2008] 2 SLR(R) 1019 [2008] 2 SLR(R) 239 [2009] 2 SLR(R) 518 [2009] 3 SLR(R) 47 [2010] 4 SLR 1119 [2011] 1 SLR 348 [2011] 2 SLR 689 [2011] 3 SLR 1205 [2011] 4 SLR 348 [2011] 4 SLR 791 [2012] 1 SLR 992 [2012] 3 SLR 527 [2014] 2 SLR 998 [2014] 3 SLR 329 [2017] 1 SLR 257 [2017] 3 SLR 147 [2017] 5 SLR 356 [2018] 1 SLR 659 [2018] 3 SLR 925 [2018] 4 SLR 1315 [2018] 5 SLR 449 [2018] 5 SLR 799 [2019] 3 SLR 374 [2020] 1 SLR 984 [2020] 2 SLR 883 [2020] 3 SLR 1435 [2021] 2 SLR 847 [2021] 3 SLR 641 [2021] 4 SLR 1407 [2022] 1 SLR 535 [2022] 2 SLR 1374 [2022] 3 SLR 1067 [2022] 3 SLR 689
UK (4)
[1896] 2 Ch 743 [1995] 2 AC 500 [2016] 3 All ER 547 [2016] AC 1
MY (1)
[1982] 2 MLJ 320

Cited By (6)

[2026] SGCA 13
Soh Chee Wen v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
[2025] SGCA 49
Soh Chee Wen v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
[2025] SGHC 184
MBF NORTHERN SECURITIES SDN. BHD. (IN LIQUIDATION) v PURWADI
[2024] SGHC 323
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v SENTEK MARINE & TRADING PTE LTD & 3 Ors
[2024] SGHC 123
S ISWARAN v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
[2024] SGHC 91
WONG POON KAY v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR

Related cases

Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.

[2026] SGCA 13 SGCA
Soh Chee Wen v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
18 March 2026
[2025] SGCA 49 SGCA
Soh Chee Wen v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
10 October 2025

Referenced in

Statutes interpreted in this judgment

Business Registration Act Companies Act COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act Criminal Law Reform Act Criminal Procedure Code Evidence Act Misuse of Drugs Act Penal Code Police Force Act Prevention of Corruption Act Securities and Futures Act

Legal concepts & references

Agency — Principal Agency — Third party and principal’s relations Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Charge Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Statements Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Trials Evidence — Adverse inferences Evidence — Proof of evidence Evidence — Witnesses Insolvency Law — Bankruptcy

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.

Read on eLitigation

Source: eLitigation ([2023] SGHC 299)