Former star prosecutor and CAD director Glenn Knight dies at age 80

Glenn Knight, the brilliant Singapore lawyer who rose to the top of the legal service and fell from grace just as quickly, has died, aged 80.

Knight, who was widowed without children, died while returning from Australia on a Scoot flight, The Straits Times reported on Wednesday (Feb 19). Police do not suspect foul play.

Most notably, Knight was the first director of the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), a specialised agency set up to tackle white-collar crime.

The University of Singapore law graduate joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1970 and rose through its ranks “with the speed and power of an Exocet missile”, as one Queen’s Counsel put it. He quickly acquired a reputation for being a law enforcer who prosecuted criminals without fear or favour.

As a public prosecutor, he handled highly publicised criminal cases, including the Toa Payoh ritual double-murder case in 1981. Self-proclaimed medium Adrian Lim and his two accomplices were eventually sentenced to death for the murder of two children after a 41-day trial.

In the world of white-collar crime, his most famous prosecution was that of former Pan-Electric Industries (Pan-El) director and stockbroker Peter Tham, chief accountant Tan Kok Liang and prominent Malaysian businessman Tan Koon Swan for their roles in the collapse of the conglomerate and erstwhile blue-chip darling.

Tham’s failure to make good on forward contracts he negotiated with Tan Koon Swan led to the failure of Pan-El. The ensuing systemic crisis wiped out the savings of many small shareholders and led to the unprecedented closure of the Singapore stock market for three days.

Another high-profile case Knight prosecuted was the insider trading charge against businessman and former UOB banker Allan Ng, who, having helped the late Wee Cho Yaw acquire several banks, was seen by some as a potential successor to the veteran banker.

Ng was convicted of buying one million Sealion Hotels shares on Oct 8, 1986, shortly after he was told by officers of Sealion’s adviser bank, Standard Chartered Merchant Bank Asia, that the company had asked the stock exchange to lift a suspension of trading in its shares.

Ng pleaded guilty after a gruelling 77-day marathon trial, including 10 days in the witness box. Knight cross-examined the former banker for eight of those days.

Following these high-profile cases, Knight’s star dimmed quickly when, in 1991, he was convicted of graft and left his top job at the CAD. He was also later barred from legal practice, and worked as a consultant in a listed company during this period.

In 1998, Knight was hauled back to court and convicted of misappropriating CAD funds during his stint as director.

Almost a decade later, Knight filed an application to be reinstated as a lawyer – which the Law Society granted in 2007. He worked at a law firm for three years before setting up his own practice in 2010, where he remained until his death.

Calling Knight one of “Singapore’s top legal eagles”, former journalist Jose Raymond said: “I have lost a friend and a legal ally with the loss of Mr Glenn Knight who has just passed on.”

He added: “Mr Knight was always there for me when I needed support, providing counsel to friends in need of legal help.”

Former Nominated Member of Parliament Braema Mathi shared her condolences on Facebook, writing: “He served the country well, and got up to walk again, rising from mistakes made.”

Source: The Business Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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