SINGAPORE — The court has ordered items belonging to anti-vaccine group founder Iris Koh and her husband Raymond Ng to be seized and sold.
This was after the couple failed to pay up costs ordered in a defamation suit they had filed against former Nominated MP Calvin Cheng that was struck out in December 2024.
Cheng's lawyers and a court sheriff turned up at their home in Farrer Park Road at about 10.20am on Feb 10.
They attempted to execute an enforcement order for the seizure of Koh and Ng's possessions but were unsuccessful as the couple did not let them into their Housing Board flat.
Forced entry is not typically exercised by the sheriff on the first attempt at execution, but it may be used, if necessary, on subsequent attempts.
Koh, 48, and Ng, 51, along with former Progress Singapore Party member Brad Bowyer, Bevan Tey and Chan Swee Cheong, had previously filed a defamation suit against Cheng over comments he made on Facebook in June 2024 that criticised people spreading misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.
The suit was struck out after the judge found that it was an abuse of court processes, and it was in the interest of justice to strike it out.
Ng, Tey and Chan were ordered to pay Cheng a total of $2,500 plus goods and services tax (GST) in costs.
Additionally, the judge said the alleged defamatory statements were also not clearly defamatory, and ordered the five of them, including Koh and Bowyer, to pay Cheng a total of $8,000 plus GST in costs.
Bowyer, Tey and Chan have each paid up their share.
On Jan 21, the court issued enforcement orders for the seizure of Koh and Ng's possessions after they failed to pay.
The first order involved the seizing of about $4,900 worth of property from Koh and Ng, while the second order involved the seizing of about $2,300 worth of property belonging to Ng.
When Cheng's lawyers and the court sheriff tried to execute the enforcement order on Feb 10, Koh claimed it was inappropriate as she was waiting on a direction from the court to vary its order.
She told one of the lawyers that this was raised during the last case conference.
Koh said: "I suggest you go check it with your colleague, find out what the hell is going on."
In response, the lawyer from Lee & Lee said he was present at the case conference, and that Cheng had every right to pursue the enforcement.
After looking through the order documents, Koh said she would check with her own legal counsel.
Ng left the flat in the midst of the enforcement attempt.
As the lawyers, sheriff and media were leaving, Koh shouted: "Have a good life, all of you. Cowards."
When contacted, Cheng said he intends to apply for a second attempt at executing the enforcement orders.
He said: "Costs of living are high. Every cent matters."
The businessman later posted on Facebook that he was not going to seize their computers and phones, but their air-conditioners and washing machine.
Separately, on Feb 7, Ng was handed 12 cheating charges involving nearly $61,000 linked to a company called Vendshare that dealt with vending machines.
Ng, who is a former director at the firm, said he was not pleading guilty. His case will be heard again on March 7.
Koh, who founded anti-vaccine group Healing the Divide, is currently facing 14 charges over offences such as criminal conspiracy and harassment.
She has claimed trial, with the next hearing expected to be on March 4.
In September 2024, Koh and Ng were ordered to pay the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) $12,000 in costs.
They had filed for a judicial review, seeking a mandatory order to make HSA investigate and, if necessary, prosecute entities using celebrities to advertise vaccination.
The court ruled that the couple's application was an abuse of process and struck it out.
The couple had also posted on social media about suing several people, with Ng claiming he had developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system for the sole purpose of suing people for defamation.
He posted on his website about using the AI system to sue thousands without hiring lawyers, saying it was like unleashing a legal whirlwind.
One of the people he sued was 46-year-old Geno Ong Kay Yong, who killed herself after coming under financial stress, in part because she was dealing with two lawsuits initiated against her by Ng.
The senior investigating officer in charge of the case said Ong had legal fees amounting to between $55,000 and $65,000, and Ong had believed Ng and Koh were targeting innocent Singaporeans by suing them.
Ng had initiated a total of four court proceedings against Ong from August 2021 until her death.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
