Hri Kumar Nair

Hri Kumar Nair SC (born 16 June 1966) is a Singaporean lawyer and former politician. He is a Deputy Attorney-General of the Republic of Singapore. From 2006 to 2015, he was a Member of Parliament. Nair quit running for political office citing his wife’s diagnosis of lymphoma in 2012.

Hri Kumar Nair SC
Deputy Attorney-General of the Republic of Singapore
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 March 2017
Appointed by	Tony Tan Keng Yam Halimah Yacob (2020)
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC
In office 7 May 2006 – 11 September 2015
President	S R Nathan (2006–2011) Tony Tan Keng Yam (2011–2015)
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong
Personal details
Born	(1966-06-16) 16 June 1966 Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Political party	People's Action Party (2006 - 2015)
Alma mater	National University of Singapore

Education

Nair studied in National Junior College. He graduated from the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law with a LLB in 1991.[1]

Legal career

Nair was called to the Singapore Bar in 1992.[1] He joined Drew & Napier and became a director of the firm.[1] He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2008.[2]

Nair was appointed as the Deputy Attorney-General (DAG) for a three-year term starting 1 March 2017, followed by another three-year term extension commencing 1 March 2020.[3] He has since resigned as a member of the People's Action Party as well as the director of Drew & Napier.[4] Nair was the first ex-lawmaker in Singapore to take on the role of a public prosecutor.[4]

Nair was involved with several high profile cases during his term as Deputy AG, including the appeal of the City Harvest Church trial[5] and Tan Cheng Bock's constitutional challenge to the Elected Presidency in 2017. Nair, in his capacity as the DAG representing the Government, was criticised by Tan for his comments in High Court.[6] Nair was quoted to have said that Tan's "motives are purely selfish and he has shown no regard for the principle of multiracial representation which Parliament intended to safeguard."[7]

In November 2017, Nair appeared before the Court of Appeal to argue against the acquittal of a man accused of raping his lover's daughter, which sees the Court of Appeal issuing a landmark judgment setting out the criteria for bringing in fresh evidence that applies to the Prosecution.[8] In June 2018, Nair successfully argued the Prosecution's appeal seeking for the death sentence to be imposed on Chia Kee Chen, who brutally murdered his wife's ex-lover.[9][10] In 2019, Nair also led the Prosecution team during the trial of Leslie Khoo, who strangled his girlfriend Cui Yajie and burnt her body in what was known as the "Gardens by the Bay" case.[11]

Political career

From 2006 to 2015, Nair was a Member of Parliament for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC, holding the Thomson-Toa Payoh ward.[12] He was also the chairman of the Bishan–Toa Payoh Town Council since 2011 and headed the Government Parliamentary Committees for Home Affairs and Law.[4] He has spoken out in favour for the repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code in Singapore, which criminalises homosexual sex.[13] Nair is also known for hitting out on the opposition for not taking a stand on contentious issues[14] and for his criticisms of the Worker's Party's management of the Aljunied–Hougang Town Council.[15]

Nair quit running for political office just before the 2015 General Election, citing his wife’s diagnosis of lymphoma in 2012 as a factor.[12]

Directorships

Nair also held several directorships over his career.[1]

• NTUC Income (3 Sep 2015 – 2017)
• NTUC Foodfare Co-operative Ltd (21 Sep 2012 – 25 May 2015)
• Media Development Authority of Singapore (1 Jan 2007 – 31 Dec 2012)
• NTUC Choice Homes Co-Operative Ltd (23 Aug 2006 – 13 Sep 2012)
• Riviera Properties Pte. Ltd. (23 Aug 2006 – 13 Sep 2012)
• Bishan EC Pte Ltd (11 Sep 2008 – 21 Feb 2012)
• People’s Association Board of Management (1 Jan 2007 – 31 May 2011)

Personal life

Nair is the youngest of nine children in his family. His first name is pronounced Hari; the current spelling is a result of a typing error on the original copy of his birth certificate which was never rectified. His wife is a Partner of Ernst & Young.[16]

References

1. "Hri Kumar Nair, SC" (PDF). Drew & Napier.
2. "Six appointed Senior Counsel at opening of Legal Year 2008". Channel NewsAsia.
3. "3 new High Court appointments and new deputy Attorney-General: PMO". The Straits Times. 2017-02-16.
4. Ng, Kelly (17 February 2017). "Incoming Deputy Attorney-General Hri Kumar no longer a party member: PAP". Today. Singapore.
5. hermesauto (2017-08-01). "City Harvest case: Kong Hee, with white hair and crew cut, in good spirits as criminal reference hearing begins". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
6. "Tan Cheng Bock hits out at Hri Kumar for 'highly inflammatory' comments over EP challenge". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
7. "Deputy Attorney-General Hri Kumar's comments 'highly inflammatory': Tan Cheng Bock". Yahoo News Singapore. July 8, 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
8. "Apex court upholds acquittal of man accused of sexually assaulting, raping lover's teen daughter". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
9. "IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE - [2018] SGCA 30" (PDF).
10. LUM, SELINA; CORRESPONDENT, LAW (2018-06-28). "Man to hang for 'brutal' murder of wife's ex-lover". The New Paper. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
11. "Gardens by the Bay murder: Accused says he had many girlfriends, but victim not one of them". CNA. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
12. Yong, Charissa (2015-08-12). "Hri Kumar Nair: My wife's illness made me refocus my priorities". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
13. "Raise level of debate on sexuality issues: MP Nair". The Straits Times. Feb 18, 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
14. "Hri Kumar hits out at WP again for sitting on the fence". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
15. "Why the silence on basic questions about AHPETC accounts? Hri Kumar asks". Channel NewsAsia. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
16. "LinkedIn". LinkedIn.

External links

• Hri Kumar Nair's CV on the Attorney-General's Chambers website