Singapore lawyers accused of illegally retrieving data


	JANUARY 17, 2001 Times of India Singapore TWO Singapore lawyers appeared in court on Jan 16 charged with illegally retrieving data from the law firm where they worked. It is the first time lawyers in the city-state have been accused of committing a crime under the Computer Misuse Act, the Straits Times said. Tan Su-Ean and Eddee Ng Ka Luon were said to have downloaded information from the law firm Lee and Lee while serving out their resignation notices last year. They were leaving the company to join Tan's father Tan Kok Quan who had set up his own practice after ending a 28-year relationship with Lee and Lee. Tan Su-Ean is accused of having her husband copy files from Lee and Lee's Intranet folder and files from the firm's library of legal cases. Ng is said to have illegally copied files from the firm's legal library. After a brief court appearance, Tan and Ng were released on bail to reappear at a pre-trial conference at the end of the month. The crime of accessing computer data illegally carries a maximum penalty of $5000. (AFP)