Exes sue each other over borrowed money, S’pore court rules that man owes woman S$578K

Ex-lovers end decades-long affair in court battle over loans exceeding S$1 million

A 30-year extramarital affair between two former business partners and lovers ended in a bitter legal dispute, with Singapore’s High Court ruling that the man must repay S$578,000 to his ex.

On Monday (5 Jan), Senior Judge Chan Seng Onn dismissed a claim by Mr Chan Tuck Cheong, who alleged that Madam Sin Wee Hiong still owed him S$222,000 from money he had transferred to her over the years.

Instead, the court allowed Madam Sin’s counterclaim, finding that she had lent Mr Chan more than S$1 million, of which S$578,000 remains unpaid.

S$800,000 loan was the vital point of the case

Madam Sin’s case centred on a document signed by Mr Chan in 2013, acknowledging that she had lent him S$800,000, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

She said the money came from a S$1.26 million remortgage of her matrimonial home in Serangoon Gardens, which she undertook with her then husband.

According to Madam Sin, Mr Chan needed the funds to redevelop his landed property in Bedok.

Justice Chan described the signed acknowledgement as the lynchpin of her case, ST said.

Source: Carla Tomulescu’s Images on Canva. Image for illustrative purposes only.

Mr Chan admitted he had signed the document, but claimed he never received the money, alleging that Madam Sin had asked him to sign it so she could show her husband.

According to ST, he suggested she needed money for gambling, and that the document was part of a plan to deceive her husband into agreeing to the loan.

However, the judge found that Mr Chan failed to prove the document was a sham.

Judge finds loan was genuine despite missing bank records

As the events took place more than a decade ago, neither party was able to produce bank records showing whether the S$800,000 had been transferred.

Justice Chan said the burden lay on Mr Chan to prove there was an intention to mislead Madam Sin’s husband, adding that the court required more cogent and forceful evidence to reach such a conclusion.

Source: Gabriel Ciobanu’s Images on Canva. Image for illustrative purposes only.

The judge found that Madam Sin did lend Mr Chan S$800,000 in 2013, as reflected in the signed document.

He also ruled that money transferred by Mr Chan to Madam Sin between 2017 and 2021 were partial repayments, while 12 further transfers from Madam Sin to Mr Chan between 2018 and 2019 were fresh loans.

Justice Chan noted that Madam Sin had provided some substantiation that Mr Chan needed funds for his companies and for his daughter’s overseas education.

Long affair intertwined with business and family ties

Mr Chan, a professional engineer, and Madam Sin are long-time business partners at TC Sin & Associates, an engineering consultancy founded by Madam Sin’s father in 1972, reported ST.

Source: SGP Business website

The pair began their affair in 1993, while both were married to their respective spouses.

Madam Sin divorced her husband in 2017, and the affair ended in 2022.

Court documents revealed that the two were heavy gamblers who frequented Resorts World Sentosa casino together.

Source: Lipik Stock Media on Canva. Image for illustrative purposes only.

Other lawsuits remain pending

Following the breakdown of their relationship, Madam Sin sued Mr Chan in May 2023 for minority oppression after he removed her as a director of one of his companies.

In July 2023, THE Integrated Construction and Prefabrication Hub (ICPH) sued Madam Sin for more than S$69,000 in alleged outstanding loans.

Mr Chan filed the present suit the following month, ST said.

The parties agreed to proceed with the current case first, while the other two lawsuits remain on hold.

Also read: Court rejects S’pore woman’s bid to sell condo held in trust for son, cites non-disclosures such as husband’s death

Court rejects S’pore woman’s bid to sell condo held in trust for son, cites non-disclosures such as husband’s death