Tan Wei Leong v Tan Lee Chin: Forgery of Power of Attorney & Intestate Succession

In Tan Wei Leong v Tan Lee Chin, the High Court of Singapore issued a supplemental judgment on September 15, 2020, to clarify its ruling on a declaration sought by the plaintiff, Tan Wei Leong, regarding the forgery of signatures on a Power of Attorney. The court granted the declaration, finding that the first defendant had made or procured the forgeries. The plaintiff's claim was otherwise dismissed with costs.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court of Singapore

1.2 Outcome

Declaration granted regarding the forgery of signatures on the Power of Attorney; the plaintiff's claim is otherwise dismissed with costs.

1.3 Case Type

Probate

1.4 Judgment Type

Supplemental Judgment

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Clarification on whether the court granted a declaration that signatures on a Power of Attorney were forgeries. The court granted the declaration.

1.7 Decision Date

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party NameRoleTypeOutcomeOutcome TypeCounsels
Tan Wei LeongPlaintiffIndividualDeclaration GrantedPartial
Tan Lee ChinDefendantIndividualClaim DismissedLost
Tan Wan FenDefendantIndividualClaim DismissedLost
Estate of Lai See Moi @ Lai Meow ChingDefendantTrustClaim DismissedLost

3. Judges

Judge NameTitleDelivered Judgment
Andrew AngSenior JudgeYes

4. Counsels

Counsel NameOrganization
Yong WalterLVM Law Chambers LLC
Leo Zhi WeiLVM Law Chambers LLC
Chan Kia PhengLVM Law Chambers LLC
Chan JunhaoLVM Law Chambers LLC
Justin Chen JunhaoLVM Law Chambers LLC
Liang ZhiweiLVM Law Chambers LLC
Choh Thian Chee IrvingOptimus Chambers LLC
Kor Wan WenOptimus Chambers LLC
MelissaOptimus Chambers LLC
Wong Chooi Teng, SarahOptimus Chambers LLC
Lim Min IsabelGurbani & Co LLC
Gurbani Prem KumarGurbani & Co LLC

4. Facts

  1. The plaintiff sought a declaration that signatures on a Power of Attorney were forgeries.
  2. The court had previously ordered that a Deed of Family Arrangement was to be set aside.
  3. The court concluded that the first defendant had made or procured forgeries of the signatures on the Power of Attorney.
  4. The original judgment inadvertently omitted to exclude the fourth prayer regarding the forgery declaration from the dismissal of the plaintiff's claim.

5. Formal Citations

  1. Tan Wei Leong v Tan Lee Chin and others, Suit No 904 of 2017, [2020] SGHC 196
  2. Tan Wei Leong v Tan Lee Chin and others, , [2020] SGHC 124

6. Timeline

DateEvent
Suit filed in Suit No 904 of 2017
Power of Attorney dated
Trial began
Trial
Trial
Trial
Trial
Trial
Judgment reserved
Supplemental judgment issued

7. Legal Issues

  1. Forgery
    • Outcome: The court declared that the signatures on the Power of Attorney were forgeries.
    • Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

  1. Declaratory Relief

9. Cause of Actions

  • Declaration of Forgery

10. Practice Areas

  • Probate Litigation
  • Estate Administration

11. Industries

  • No industries specified

12. Cited Cases

Case NameCourtAffirmedCitationJurisdictionSignificance
Tan Wei Leong v Tan Lee Chin and othersHigh CourtYes[2020] SGHC 124SingaporeCited as the original judgment which the supplemental judgment clarifies.

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute NameJurisdiction
No applicable statutes

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

  • Power of Attorney
  • Forgery
  • Deed of Family Arrangement
  • Declaratory Relief
  • Intestate Succession

15.2 Keywords

  • probate
  • forgery
  • power of attorney
  • estate
  • singapore
  • high court

17. Areas of Law

Area NameRelevance Score
Distribution of assets85
Forgery80
Succession Law75
Wills and Probate75
Deed of Family Arrangement70
Estate Administration70
Handwriting Analysis60
Evidence40
Evidence Law40
Affidavits30

16. Subjects

  • Probate
  • Estate Law
  • Civil Procedure