Federal Court judge accused of plagiarism

A company has asked for an appeal at the Federal Court to be re-heard on the basis that a senior judge had plagiarised in a judgment delivered on Jan 5.

In a notice of motion filed by See Teow Chuan Holdings Sdn Bhd, the estate of Seah Ah Keoh@ Seah Yeo and 12 others claimed that the grounds of judgment are largely a reproduction of a written submission by Ooi Woon Chee, the first respondent.

The application for the re-hearing was filed on Feb 13, by the firm of VK Lingam & Co.

The applicants claimed that 56 paragraphs running into 47 pages had been copied substantially without any attribution to Ooi.

They also said the written submission was heavily biased in favour of Ooi and the second respondent Ng Kim Tuck, in a dispute involving the Kian Joo Can company.

"Therefore the Federal Court, by reproducing substantially the contents of the respondents’ written submission as its grounds of judgment, had taken a one-sided and biased view of the appeals before the Federal Court."

"The federal court panel in its grounds of judgment never considered at all the arguments submitted by the applicant's counsel."

[More to follow]