SINGAPORE'S veteran opposition MP J.B. Jeyaretnam said Feb22 that he had filed a notice of appeal against a court ruling that makes him legally bankrupt and ineligible for public office. The appeal was lodged on Feb 19, Jeyaretnam said in a statement.

An application for a "stay of the order" declaring him bankrupt has also been filed, he said. The hearing is set to take place on March 2 at the Court of Appeal.

Earlier this month, the 74-year old Workers Party leader lost his first appeal against bankruptcy after the High Court ruled that he was bound by an order last year to pay installments on a defamation claim on fixed dates.

Under Singapore law, Jeyaretnam will be barred from running for office if he is declared bankrupt after failing to pay on schedule damages awarded to political opponents who had sued him for defamation.

Jeyaretnam was declared bankrupt last month after he missed the deadline by one day for a S$23,450 (US$13,477) payment.

He owes $235,000 to eight leaders of the local Indian community who successfully claimed they were defamed in a 1995 Workers Party article.

The opposition leader, who broke a 16-year monopoly by the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) when he was first elected to parliament in 1981, is one of only three opposition MPs and a staunch long-time foe of the PAP.

Even if he wins his latest appeal, Jeyaretnam faces more legal hurdles with several PAP leaders including former premier Lee Kuan Yew pressing defamation cases against him.