As a bankrupt person, Chee Soon Juan, who is secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party, has to apply for permission from the government's Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office before he can travel overseas.

Chee was charged Monday in a district court for trying to leave the country on April 1 without authorization, according to court documents. If found guilty, he faces a fine of up to S$10,000 (US$6300; €5000) and two years' jail.

Chee, who said his passport was seized at the airport in Singapore when he tried to leave for a conference in Turkey, said he is fighting the case because he believes the government was using the bankruptcy act "as a weapon to stop me from going overseas to garner international support for the democracy campaign in Singapore."

Chee also said a trial date had been set for Oct 25 to hear a separate charge of speaking in public without a permit. Chee, an outspoken critic of Singapore's government, was bankrupted in February and barred from standing in elections after failing to pay former prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong some S$500,000 (US$303,000; €232,000) in libel damages for comments he made during the 2001 elections.

The ruling party, which holds 82 out of 84 seats in Parliament, has governed Singapore for more than 40 years. Its leaders say they have a right to use libel lawsuits to defend their reputations, while critics say the fines are intended to silence the opposition.

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