A 5-year Legal Battle with NUS
My name is Jeanne Ten. I am a Singaporean. My life has been utterly destroyed by NUS. In 2012, I began a long drawn-out legal battle with NUS regarding the wrongful denial of my MA degree (by Research) in 2006. My trial will begin next month on 1 August 2017.
To date, I have already spent more than $100,000 in fees. I have exhausted all my savings. I have no choice but to resort to crowdfunding the legal fees. I hope Singaporeans can extend a hand, no matter how small the amount, to uphold justice.
18 July 2017
Here’s My Encounter
I started my MA programme at NUS in January 2002, and I completed my MA thesis in February 2005. NUS passed my MA thesis in 2006 and even sent me the letter for the commencement ceremony. However, several months later, NUS imposed a new requirement for me to graduate – a written undertaking to accept the university’s decisions regarding my complaint against my MA supervisor. This issue was totally unrelated to the graduation requirements.
When I refused to bow to the University’s threat, NUS terminated my MA candidature and denied me my MA degree – a degree that had already cost me more than three years of my life. Because of this, I had to leave a PhD programme in the United States (in 2007) after the first academic year there. The university had accepted me into the PhD programme with the understanding that NUS would be conferring me my MA degree certificate.
Not only did I lose out on opportunities for future employment as an academic after leaving my PhD programme, I had to undergo the embarrassment of explaining to people around me why I did not get my MA degree from NUS and why I could not continue in my PhD programme in the US.
The legal battle with NUS began in 2012 and it is extremely trying given the imbalance of resources. I have sued NUS for:
(a) breach of contract;
(b) the tort of misfeasance in public office;
(c) the tort of intimidation; and
(d) the tort of negligence.
The Complaint Regarding My Supervisor, Dr Wong Yunn Chii
While I was working on my thesis in NUS, my supervisor, Dr Wong Yunn Chii provided me with only minimal and token supervision. NUS also concluded in a COI report dated 20 July 2005 that “Dr Wong did not comply fully with his duties of supervision.” It is noteworthy that Dr Wong has since been promoted twice – even after a committee of inquiry was raised against him, concluding to censure him “for the manner in which he supervised [me], and that appropriate steps be taken to ensure Dr Wong was fully aware of the role and duties of a supervisor to his student.”
In 2004, Dr Wong made use of my scholarly work to apply for funding for his own project. He told me that my thesis was to be the “basis” and “content” of his own research project. Subsequently, he received a grant of over $80,000 from the Ministry of Education (MOE).
In February 2005, I had completed my MA thesis and met Dr Wong to ask him to sign my MA thesis submission form. I also asked Dr Wong how he was going to acknowledge my research work and MA thesis since he had used my thesis to apply for his research project grant successfully. Much to my shock, Dr Wong said that the primary sources in my thesis did not belong to me – this was in reply to my question about giving me due acknowledgement since Dr Wong had used my thesis to generate his research project.
I was concerned that, if Dr Wong did not acknowledge my research work in his grant application and project, this would deprive me of the credit I deserved for my research work. This could have serious consequences for my aspirations for an academic career and my professional reputation if I later tried to (revise and) publish my thesis.
By 3 March 2005, about 4 weeks after I turned in my MA thesis, I learned that my thesis examiners had still not been nominated. I was worried that Dr Wong had deliberately delayed the nomination of the examiners. I wrote to NUS to request that Dr Wong be removed as my supervisor. The department Head took the side of Dr Wong. I escalated the complaint to the Dean of the NUS School of Design and Environment (SDE). When the Dean took the side of Dr Wong and the Head, I escalated my complaint to Vice-Provost Lily Kong. The Vice-Provost took the side of Dr Wong, the Head, and the Dean.
I pursued the matter. NUS eventually convened a Committee of Inquiry (COI) in June 2005 to investigate my complaints against Dr Wong. Both the Vice-Provost and the COI Chairman refused to provide me with the terms of reference of the COI, and the names of the other members of the COI. Vice-Provost Kong stated that there were contradictions in my complaints. But she refused to clarify what these contradictions were.
In August 2005, NUS informed me that the COI had found that there was “insufficient evidence” to support my complaints. However, NUS refused to show me the COI report. I continued to protest NUS’ lack of transparency in the COI process and the lack of due process in its investigation in 2006, and I paid a high price just for pushing for a fair and just process.
This Lawsuit Is About Justice!
This lawsuit is not just about the negligence of Dr Wong as a supervisor or his professional enrichment through the use of my thesis. Most importantly, it is about the wrongful termination of my MA candidature by NUS. The termination of my candidature has affected my life. NUS failed to observe due process in investigating my complaint against Dr Wong, and penalised me for my refusal to accept the NUS’ dubious investigation.
A public body like NUS is financially strong to drag this out in court. The longer it drags, the more painful and difficult it is for an individual like me to seek justice. This lawsuit is also about representing the voice of those who cannot afford to access equal legal resources.
NUS managed to withhold crucial information about facts related to my lawsuit until as late as July 2015, when it eventually disclosed information that would adversely affect its case. To date, I have hundreds of thousands of legal fees to pay and I have already spent more than S$100,000 in fees.
Urgent legal fees
There are some urgent court fees which I have to pay at this moment. In fact, my case was nearly struck off from trial in August by the Court after NUS successfully applied for an “Unless Order” on 13 July 2017 – that is, unless I paid certain fees to Court (S$6,000) by the next day on 14 July 2017, by 4 pm, my lawsuit would be struck out with costs.
I was able to get an emergency loan overnight, which I have to return within one week. Although I managed to prevent my case from being struck out just hours before the deadline on 14 July 2017, this type of unexpected crisis keeps coming up.
Yesterday, 17 July 2017, I was again asked to pay more court fees (S$5,000) for two additional days of hearing by tomorrow, 19 July 2017, 4 pm. NUS will be producing 6 witnesses at trial and has asked for a total of eight days of hearing. The Court has directed that the number of hearing days to be increased to a total of six days from four days due to the six NUS witnesses.
I have not been employed since January of this year. The challenges that I face are financial, physical, mental, and much more.
Not only has NUS tried to strike out my case a number of times, NUS had also tried to make me a bankrupt by issuing me a “statutory demand” under The Bankruptcy Act (dated 3 May 2016) to pay the cost orders in the interim applications that I had lost to NUS.
I do not want to drop this matter because I believe that justice should be served. And I think Singaporeans will not allow such an injustice to happen. I hope that my 12-year battle with NUS will make it to Court. I’m asking Singaporeans to stand behind a fellow Singaporean, and crowdfund justice. It is truly unfortunate that I have to raise $11,000 just for the Court hearing fees and at such short notice. NUS has used its own power to bully me and is able to use the legal system to its advantage as a result of the unequal access to resources.
Please help me – can 5,000 Singaporeans please give me S$1 each?
I would be very grateful if you could share this meaningful activity with your friends.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Jeanne Ten
NUS Elites Committed Perjury in Court – Help Me To Get To The Court Of Appeal
I am a Singaporean whistleblower who has refused to be silenced about misconduct and abuse of power at the National University of Singapore (“NUS”). I refused to be silenced, even after NUS threatened to retaliate against me. NUS then managed to win a case against me in the High Court of Singapore, in which NUS’s main witness against me repeatedly lied to the Court and thereby committed the crime of perjury. NUS’s court victory against me, in a judgment that is tainted with perjury, has provided NUS with the legal basis to bankrupt me.
Read MoreExpert Opinion by Prof Lewis
I have filed the Expert Opinion provided by a Law Professor from the UK on 29 April 2022. The Expert Opinion supports my allegations of perjury by NUS witnesses during the High Court trial in Suit 667 in 2017.
Read MorePolice Investigation Into the Perjury of Lily Kong, President of SMU
I have been very troubled by the perjury committed by NUS witnesses in Court which happened during the trial of Suit 667.
A lawyer agreed to look at the documents which prove that Lily Kong committed perjury. After looking at the documents, the lawyer, who gave me his advice pro bono (free of charge) agreed with me that the evidence of Lily Kong’s own written words in her own email proves that Lily Kong lied in Court and committed perjury. The lawyer suggested that I should make a police report about Lily Kong’s perjury, because perjury is a serious crime in Singapore.
I did Not Abscond With The $20k! I Am Still Pressing On With My Case Against NUS!
No, I did not abscond with the $20k! I am still pressing on with my case against NUS!!! I was bewildered when someone wrote to me to say that he was told by a 3rd party that I had run away overseas with the $20,000 public donation that was meant to pay for the Security…
Read MoreLast Push To Obtain Justice – Urgent Appeal For Funds To Get To The Court Of Appeal
8 August 2019 Dear friends,Legal Battle with NUS – For the past 14 years, I have fought a tough battle against the National University of Singapore for the wrongful denial of my Master’s Degree. In 2012, I sued the university as a last resort. I am now trying to raise $20,000 for Security for Costs…
Read MoreNo Money, No Court Appeal While SMU President Lily Kong Gets Away Scot-free With Lying About NUS COI
27 May 2019 Dear friends,It’s been some time since my last blog, and I have a lot to catch up on in this blog.Thank you all for your concern and requests for updates. Your continued support means a lot to me. In recent months, I have suffered a great deal of stress and aggravation, as…
Read MoreThe Grades Of My MA Thesis (Supplementary Notes)
17 August 2017 Dear Friends,I would like to elaborate on my previous post The Grades of My MA Thesis It has been pointed out to me that I had not provided a clearer picture of the grade(s) awarded by NUS back in 2005. In this post, I would let the NUS documents speak for themselves* and provide you with a…
Read MoreThe Grades Of My MA Thesis
13 August 2017 (I followed up on this topic in my post The Grades Of My MA Thesis (Supplementary Notes) I have been asked a good number of questions regarding my 12-year battle with NUS over my MA degree. Some common questions revolve around my MA Thesis, particularly the grades. What were my grades? Did NUS…
Read MoreYou Asked If My MA Thesis Was Good Enough To Warrant The MA Degree
23 July 2017 (I followed up on this topic in my post dated 13 Aug 2017 The Grades of My MA Thesis) I would like to first clarify that I had already received my letter of invitation to take part in the 2006 commencement ceremony by March 2006. Please see below for the supporting documents: “Congratulations!…
Read MoreWhat Would You Say If A World-Class University Puts Up Fake Information On Its Website About A Non-Existent Achievement???
Dear friends, A number of people have asked me about Dr Wong’s project that was based on my MA Thesis – What happened to the project? – Was the project published? – Where is the project “now?” Dr Wong’s misuse of my MA Thesis idea and content by attempting to pass off the fruits of…
Read MoreDid NUS Have A Copy Of My Thesis That I Submitted to NUS In 2006 In Its Possession All This Time? (Supplementary Note)
30 July 2017 Thank you to those who have read my blog yesterday on this topic. And thank you for the feedback. I agree that I did not get my point across clearly so here’s the main point to the blog of yesterday, 29 July 2017): In 2011, I complained to MOE regarding NUS’ wrongful…
Read MoreDid NUS Have A Copy Of My Thesis That I Submitted to NUS In 2006 In Its Possession All This Time?
29 July 2017 My case against NUS will be heard on 1-4, 18 and 21 August 2017. It will be at the Supreme Court and it is open to the public. There is one issue that I am not allowed to ventilate in Court next week because of Without Prejudice privilege that NUS enjoys, i.e.,…
Read More19 July 2017 Updates
First of all, my apologies to well-wishers who expressed that they could not understand what this was all about or found what I wrote confusing. It was a challenge to condense 12 years of my life in a few pages in my 1st blog published yesterday. Now I have to try to express it in a…
Read MoreNUS Elites Committed Perjury in Court – Help Me To Get To The Court Of Appeal
I am a Singaporean whistleblower who has refused to be silenced about misconduct and abuse of power at the National University of Singapore (“NUS”). I refused to be silenced, even after NUS threatened to retaliate against me. NUS then managed to win a case against me in the High Court of Singapore, in which NUS’s main witness against me repeatedly lied to the Court and thereby committed the crime of perjury. NUS’s court victory against me, in a judgment that is tainted with perjury, has provided NUS with the legal basis to bankrupt me.
Read MoreExpert Opinion by Prof Lewis
I have filed the Expert Opinion provided by a Law Professor from the UK on 29 April 2022. The Expert Opinion supports my allegations of perjury by NUS witnesses during the High Court trial in Suit 667 in 2017.
Read MorePolice Investigation Into the Perjury of Lily Kong, President of SMU
I have been very troubled by the perjury committed by NUS witnesses in Court which happened during the trial of Suit 667.
A lawyer agreed to look at the documents which prove that Lily Kong committed perjury. After looking at the documents, the lawyer, who gave me his advice pro bono (free of charge) agreed with me that the evidence of Lily Kong’s own written words in her own email proves that Lily Kong lied in Court and committed perjury. The lawyer suggested that I should make a police report about Lily Kong’s perjury, because perjury is a serious crime in Singapore.
9th Day of Trial
1 November 2017 (Posted on 7 Nov 2017) Dear friends,Thank you for attending my trial and for your show of support!Also, a big thank you to those of you who sent me funds for my court hearing fees, which is still short of the total amount needed. (I will post separately about the donations.)I am…
Read More8th Day of Trial
29 August 2017 (Posted on 30 August 2017) Dear friends,Thank you for coming to the trial today. It has been a tiring, stressful and felt-like-it-lasted-for-ages one month journey since my 1st day of trial on 1 August 2017.One more day of hearing will be required due to the number of NUS witnesses. Today, my lawyer…
Read More7th Day of Trial
23 August 2017 (Posted on 25 August 2017) Today, (former) University Registrar A/P Ang Siau Gek gave evidence at the witness stand. It is now clear that two extra days of hearing will need to be “set down” for the remaining 4 NUS witnesses to testify. The next hearing date has been fixed on 29 August 2017…
Read More6th Day of Trial
22 August 2017 The hearing today was a half-day hearing. The trial tomorrow, 23 August 2017, will be a full-day hearing. Earlier in the morning, NUS’ (former) Vice-Provost Lily Kong was re-examined by the NUS lawyer for a short while and released from the witness stand. The 2nd NUS witness is Assoc Prof Ang Siau…
Read More5th Day of Trial
21 August 2017 Prof Kong gave evidence on many issues. I will just show one document and let the document speak for itself. (I have reproduced the chain of emails and pasted the chain directly as text in this post.) Background: Before NUS convened the COI hearing in July 2005 to look into my complaint against…
Read MoreCourt Hearing Resumes on 21 August 2017
20 August 2017 Dear Friends, The court hearing of my lawsuit against NUS will resume on Monday, 21 August 2017, in the Supreme Court. Here are the dates and times: Monday, 21 August 2017, 10 am (morning hearing only) Tuesday, 22 August 2017, 10 am (morning hearing only) Wednesday, 23 August 2017, 10 am (full day)…
Read MoreI did Not Abscond With The $20k! I Am Still Pressing On With My Case Against NUS!
No, I did not abscond with the $20k! I am still pressing on with my case against NUS!!! I was bewildered when someone wrote to me to say that he was told by a 3rd party that I had run away overseas with the $20,000 public donation that was meant to pay for the Security…
Read MoreLast Push To Obtain Justice – Urgent Appeal For Funds To Get To The Court Of Appeal
8 August 2019 Dear friends,Legal Battle with NUS – For the past 14 years, I have fought a tough battle against the National University of Singapore for the wrongful denial of my Master’s Degree. In 2012, I sued the university as a last resort. I am now trying to raise $20,000 for Security for Costs…
Read MoreNo Money, No Court Appeal While SMU President Lily Kong Gets Away Scot-free With Lying About NUS COI
27 May 2019 Dear friends,It’s been some time since my last blog, and I have a lot to catch up on in this blog.Thank you all for your concern and requests for updates. Your continued support means a lot to me. In recent months, I have suffered a great deal of stress and aggravation, as…
Read MoreCourt Hearing Fees – outstanding payment
27 August 2018
Read MoreUrgent Appeal for Court Hearing Fees – 24 Aug 2017
24 August 2017 Dear Friends, My lawsuit was heard over 6 full days since 1 Aug 2017. Yesterday, 23 Aug, was the 6th day of hearing. It is now clear that two extra hearing days are needed to complete the cross-examination/re-examination of the remaining 4 NUS witnesses. The court has made 29 Aug 2017 available for hearing…
Read MoreTranscription Costs
28 July 2017 First of all, my court hearing is on 1-4, 18 and 21 August 2017 at the High Court. It is open to the public. NUS asked me if I would like to share the transcription costs for transcription services during trial on the basis that NUS obtain real-time transcription and I obtain a 14-day…
Read MoreNUS Elites Committed Perjury in Court – Help Me To Get To The Court Of Appeal
I am a Singaporean whistleblower who has refused to be silenced about misconduct and abuse of power at the National University of Singapore (“NUS”). I refused to be silenced, even after NUS threatened to retaliate against me. NUS then managed to win a case against me in the High Court of Singapore, in which NUS’s main witness against me repeatedly lied to the Court and thereby committed the crime of perjury. NUS’s court victory against me, in a judgment that is tainted with perjury, has provided NUS with the legal basis to bankrupt me.
Read MoreCourt of Appeal Donation Update Six (6) – FINAL UPDATE – 3 September 2019
Total donations on 31 August 2019 : $15,929.52 Dear Donors and Well-Wishers, A GIGANTIC thank you to all of you who have donated and also those who offered to loan me the funds when I fell short of the $20,000. As of 26 August, I received a total of $15,929.52 when I filed my Notice of Appeal. I…
Read MoreCourt of Appeal Donation Update Five (5) – 22 August 2019
Total donations from 21 to 22 August@11.55 pm: $555.07 Thank you for your kindness. It is nearing the end of the campaign. I had aimed to raise the sum by 22 Aug, which is today, but I am only at the 25% mark ($5,000). Please help if you can. Any amount of donation will help me…
Read MoreCourt of Appeal Donation Update Four (4) – 20 August 2019
Total donations from 16 to 20 August@11.55 pm: $1841.15 Dear Friends, Thank you to those of you who have responded to my donation appeal. I know some of the donors – you are not wealthy but you have a generous spirit, thank you for your friendship and support. I set up my donation appeal on 8 August 2019.…
Read MoreCourt of Appeal Donation Update Three (3) – 15 August 2019
Total donations from 13 to 15 August@6.30 pm: $780.00 Dear Friends, I set up my donation appeal on 8 August 2019 on my blog followed by “Go Get Funding” crowdfunding platform the next day. It has been slow today, but I know with your help I can surmount all difficulties. Please help me to get to…
Read MoreCourt of Appeal Donation Update Two (2) – 12 August 2019
Total donations on 12 August@11.55 pm: $266.08 Dear Friends, I set up my donation appeal on 8 August 2019 on my blog and later on the “Go Get Funding” crowdfunding platform. Thanks to those who have donated and those who have urged their friends to donate. Some of you I know who you are and…
Read MoreCourt of Appeal Donation Update One (1) – 11 August 2019
Total donations from 8 to 11 August@11.55 pm: $587.79 Dear Friends, I set up my donation appeal on 8 August 2019 on my blog and later on the “Go Get Funding” crowdfunding platform. Many thanks to those who have responded. I am very happy to be able to interact with some of the donors. Hope this…
Read MoreShort Update on 9 October 2017
9 October 2017 Hello dear friends, This is an update of no updates really. Sorry, I have no news yet of when is the last day of Court hearing, in which the last two NUS witnesses would be taking to the witness stand. The witnesses are:(1) Associate Professor Wong Yunn Chii (my former Supervisor who…
Read MoreDonation Update on 26 Sep 2017
Total Donations 1-19 September: $1,444.53 Dear All, My last donation update was posted on 3 September 2017. Within the period 1-19 September 2017, I received donations which were handed to me directly ($1,250), donations to my Paypal account ($107.54), as well as donations to my appeal on the GIVE.ASIA platform. The Give.Asia donations are routed to my POSB bank…
Read More