SINGAPORE鈥揝ingapore鈥檚 High Court has overturned the conviction of a law professor jailed for obtaining sexual favors and gifts from a female student in exchange for better grades, his lawyer said Friday.
Former National University of Singapore (NUS) law professor Tey Tsun Hang, 42, served a five-month sentence last year after he was found guilty by a district court of six charges of corruption over his relationship with his then-student Darinne Ko in 2010.
The district court ruled that he had 鈥渆xploited鈥� the female student by obtaining sexual favors from her and also receiving gifts that included tailored shirts and a limited-edition pen.
But Tey鈥檚 lawyer Peter Low said Friday that High Court Justice Woo Bih Li 鈥渁llowed an appeal and overturned the conviction鈥�, five months after he completed his prison sentence.
鈥淭he crux of it is that the court found that it takes two hands to clap even though he exploited her and that she was in love with him,鈥� Low told AFP.
鈥淚 am glad that Professor Tey has been vindicated by a court of law and acquitted of all six corruption charges,鈥� he said.
The NUS, which announced last year that it had terminated Tey鈥檚 employment after his conviction, did not immediately comment on the ruling.
In handing down the sentence last year, Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye said Tey 鈥渁bused his position and power鈥� while in the relationship with Ko and chastised him for his 鈥渦lterior motives and corrupt intention鈥�.
The court had heard during the trial that Ko got pregnant during their affair and paid for her own abortion.
It is the second high-profile corruption case to be overturned in Singapore in the past year.
Ng Boon Gay, a former head of Singapore鈥檚 narcotics police, was cleared of corruption in February 2013 after a court rejected charges that he demanded oral sex from a female contractor to help her win government deals.