Imran Rahim, Drea Chong's husband, denies allegations of sexual misconduct from fellow lawyer Charles Yeo

Imran Rahim has publicly released a statement on his Instagram account, denying the allegations of sexual misconduct hurled against him by GE2020 candidate Charles Yeo.

The 32-year-old lawyer added that he did not know Yeo and that he "will be taking the necessary steps to vindicate [himself]".

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While investigations by his law firm Tan Kok Quan Partnership (TKQP) — where Imran is a senior associate — are underway, he has agreed to take a leave of absence.

In response to news website Today's enquiries, a spokesperson from TKQP said: "The firm takes all allegations impacting an employee's moral, social and professional standing as an individual, as a member of the firm and, in the larger scheme of things, as a member of the legal profession very seriously.

"It is looking into the matter and making its own enquiries into these allegations. In this regard, the firm implements a zero-tolerance policy towards any matter concerning sexual impropriety."

The Law Society told Today that they have "not yet received any complaint or information from potential complainants in this matter."

They added: "If and when received, that would trigger a referral to the Inquiry Panel, an independent body set up to investigate and act on complaints. The Law Society does not condone or brook sexual harassment of any form in the legal profession."

Yeo's allegations first surfaced on Tuesday (July 21).

The 30-year-old lawyer posted several videos and images on his Instagram account, accusing Imran of improper conduct and challenging the other to serve him a writ of defamation.

In his posts, he alleged that Imran took advantage of young debaters and that over 10 victims had come forward with their stories. Both a half-hour-long video and Story highlights are still available on his Instagram.

Yeo, who stood for the recent election with the Reform Party, also challenged Imran to file a Protection from Harassment Act complaint against him, saying he was "not afraid of [his] connections". He also urged "victims of Imran" to come forward with evidence. 

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Imran's line of work focuses on commercial litigation and dispute resolution.

He was a champion debater and was on the Dean's List in his final year of undergraduate studies at the National University of Singapore's law faculty.

Beyond that, he's also active in grassroots work and has worked alongside government ministers such as Education Minister Ong Ye Kung and Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli — both of whom have mentioned him by name in their past speeches.

Most notably, he is married to 28-year-old Andrea Chong — more commonly known as Drea Chong — a social media influencer with over 300,000 Instagram followers.

rainercheung@asiaone.com