Richard Lim Swee Joo had sued the temple, Nan Bei Dou Mu Gong, to recover the money he contributed between 2016 and 2018.SINGAPORE - A Taoist temple has been ordered to repay more than $1 million to its former chairman after the High Court rejected its argument that the money had been given to the temple as a donation.
However, the judge dismissed Mr Lim’s claim against the second defendant, Mr Eric Goh Joo Heng, a committee member of the temple. Mr Lim said that at a meeting held at a coffee shop in Ang Mo Kio in 2016, he agreed to extend loans to set up the temple and organise its events. The total sum was also acknowledged as a loan during the temple’s annual general meeting on Dec 6, 2018, where it was agreed that the money owed would be repaid with future collections.
He argued that the temple’s committee members had ratified the loan by signing on various documents, including the transaction details and the loan acknowledgement, during the AGM. The judge noted that several of the temple’s witnesses had stated in their affidavits that during the AGM, Mr Lim had asked for a signed acknowledgement to placate his wife.Justice Chan said the fact that the witnesses made the same about-face under cross-examination on a critical point led him to question the veracity of the temple’s claim.
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