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| Admission to the Singapore Bar
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International Arbitration in Singapore
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| Legal
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Legal Aid
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| Community Mediation
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Insolvency
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| Debt Repayment Scheme (DRS)
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Public Trustee
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| Moneylending
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Pawnbroking
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| Land
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Land Surveyors
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| Intellectual Property
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| | 1. |
Who is eligible for legal aid?
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Briefly, to qualify for legal aid,
a) you have to be a Singapore Citizen or a Singapore Permanent Resident and be present in Singapore (This requirement does not apply if you are making an application under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction);
b) you have to satisfy the “Means Test”. Your disposable income, that is, your income for the past 12 months before the date of application for legal aid and after deducting prescribed allowances, must not exceed $10,000/-, and your disposable capital must not exceed $10,000/-; and
(c) there must be merits in your case (the ”Merits Test”)
If you do not satisfy the Means Test but are facing hardship, the Director of Legal Aid may extend legal aid to you (subject to the requirements of the Merits Test) if:
1. You satisfy certain statutory provisions; and
2. It appears to him in his absolute discretion to be reasonable to do so to relieve hardship.
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| | 2. |
What if I have to travel frequently while I am still an undischarged bankrupt?
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If you have to travel frequently, while you are still an undischarged bankrupt, you may apply for block leave either for 3 months or 6 months. During this period, you can travel as many times as you wish.
Please submit all travel applications via our website for our consideration.
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| | 3. |
How do I self petition for bankruptcy?
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Please note that bankruptcy should be considered as a last resort. There are restrictions imposed on bankrupts eg. Restrictions on travel, managing of business and requirement to account regularly on income and expenditure. There is no automatic discharge from bankruptcy in Singapore. A bankrupt will be discharged only upon satisfying the Official Assignee or the Court having regard to many factors, including the following:
(a) cause of insolvency
(b) amount of contribution into bankruptcy estate
(c) length in insolvency
(d) conduct in insolvency
We do not provide advice on the procedures for filing a self petition. You may wish to refer to the Bankruptcy Rules for the procedures. You can obtain a copy of the Bankruptcy Rules from the Singapore National Printers.
Please be advised not to consider self petition as an option to relieve your financial problems. You may wish to seek assistance from Credit Counselling Singapore for a discussion on how you can reach an amicable settlement with your creditors without resorting to bankruptcy.
In any event, if you require any assistance from the Official Assignee's Pre-Bankruptcy Advisory & Mediation Services, please contact:
Mr Jonathan Chua
Individual Insolvency Division
Insolvency & Public Trustee’s Office
Email: jonathan_chua@ipto.gov.sg
Tel: (+65) 6325 2234
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| | 4. |
What is bankruptcy?
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Bankruptcy is a process where the debtor is publicly recognised to be insolvent. The High Court makes a Bankruptcy Order against the debtor and he is declared a bankrupt if he is unable to pay his debts of at least $10,000.
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| | 5. |
What is the Official Assignee's Role in bankruptcy administration?
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The Official Assignee is a public servant and an officer of the Court. His role is two-fold; to realise all the bankrupt's assets for distribution to his creditors and to assist the bankrupt in obtaining a discharge.
As an administrator of the bankruptcy estate, he also has the duty to investigate a bankrupt's conduct while the latter remains a bankrupt. The duties of the Official Assignee include adjudication of creditors' claims, payment of dividends and assist bankrupts in attaining a discharge from bankruptcy.
In situations where there are disputes between a bankrupt and his creditors regarding the quantum of a debt or the amount of payment of the debt, the Official Assignee will act as mediator to assist in reaching a mutually acceptable proposal.
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Last updated on 15 May, 2012 |
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