Socialite Kim Lim's ex-husband faces drink driving charge

SINGAPORE — Local socialite Kim Lim’s former husband Kho Bin Kai, who started his jail sentence in May over offences linked to illegal gambling activities, allegedly committed drink driving in April.

Kho, 33, whose latest case was mentioned in a district court on Dec 7, now faces charges involving traffic-related offences.

According to court documents, he was driving a car along Mackenzie Road towards Bukit Timah Road at around 1.40am on April 1 when he allegedly had at least 43 micrograms (mcg) of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

The prescribed limit is 35 mcg of alcohol in the same amount of breath.

Kho is also accused of failing to comply with conditions relating to his provisional driving licence (PDL). He is said to have driven the car that day without displaying what court documents described as a "distinguishing mark" on the front and rear of the vehicle.

The Singapore Police Force states on its website that a PDL allows learner motorists to take practical driving or riding lessons during the course of their training to obtain a valid Singapore driving licence after he or she passes the basic theory test.

It is an offence to take these practical lessons without a valid PDL.

The official handbook of the basic theory of driving states: "As a PDL holder, you must display two 18 cm square 'L' plates, in a conspicuous position on both the front and back of your motor vehicle during your driving lessons and driving tests...You can only drive whilst under the supervision of your licensed driving instructor or driving school’s driving instructor."

Kho is expected to plead guilty to these traffic-related charges on Jan 8, 2024.

For drink driving, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $10,000. A repeat offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $20,000.

Lim, then 31, is the daughter of billionaire Peter Lim and she turned up at State Courts on May 23 to support Kho before he started his jail term that day over his earlier offences.

He was her first husband and was married to her for three years before they divorced in 2020.

On May 9, Kho was sentenced to two years and 10 months’ jail as well as a fine of $40,000 after he pleaded guilty to three charges under the Remote Gambling Act.

He had also admitted to two counts of dealing with the benefits of criminal conduct.

In earlier proceedings, the prosecution said that Kho started being involved in illegal gambling in 2012 when he became an agent for unlawful soccer betting, earning between $2,000 and $5,000 a month.

In mid-2016, he was introduced to a Malaysian man known only as "Ah Leong". Kho then agreed to join Ah Leong in the latter’s 4D and Toto business.

Kho stopped being an agent for soccer betting in early 2017. He then became a "master agent" for an illegal gambling website in April that year, earning between $30,000 and $40,000 a month on average.

But there were months when he earned less than $30,000 or earned nothing at all.

Kho later used $32,000 of his ill-gotten gains to pay for an Audemars Piguet watch. He also used $5,000 of the benefits of his criminal conduct to make a partial payment for a Rolex watch worth $21,000.

Kho’s offences came to light when police raided his home on July 28, 2019, and arrested him.

It was part of an islandwide operation that led to the arrest of 35 other people involved in a syndicate that carried out unlawful remote gambling activities.

ALSO READ: Socialite Kim Lim turns up at State Courts as ex-husband heads to jail

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.