SINGAPORE: The trial of Iris Koh, founder of the Healing the Divide group known to be against COVID-19 vaccination, and suspended doctor Jipson Quah will start on Dec 16.
This comes almost three years after Koh, 48, and Dr Quah, 36, were first charged in January 2022 with conspiring to cheat the Ministry of Health (MOH) that people were vaccinated against COVID-19 when they were not.
Fifteen days of trial have been fixed between December and May 2025, according to court records updated on Wednesday (Oct 16).
Koh faces a total of 14 charges. She is accused of:
- Conspiring with Dr Quah to make false representations to MOH that seven individuals had received the Sinopharm jab when they had not in 2021 and 2022
- Obstructing the work of public servants by instigating members of two Healing the Divide Telegram group chats to “flood” the MOH and Ministry of Social and Family Development hotlines
- Harassing doctors at vaccination centres by instigating members of the group chats to book vaccination slots, question the doctors about vaccine safety, ask to record their responses and consider reporting them to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) if they decline
- Organising a public assembly against Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination programme by distributing shirts near Bedok police division headquarters and encouraging members to take photographs in the shirts
- Obstructing the work of a police officer by refusing to sign and tearing up a copy of her statement while in police lock-up
Dr Quah faces a total of 17 charges.
Apart from the seven charges with Koh as co-conspirator, he has another 10 charges of making or conspiring to make false representations to MOH that people were vaccinated with the Sinopharm jab when they were not in 2021 and 2022.
Dr Quah was suspended from medical practice in March 2022 after the SMC said he allegedly administered saline solution to several people in place of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Koh is represented by Mr Wee Pan Lee and Mr Low Chang Yong of Wee, Tay & Lim, while Dr Quah’s lawyers are Ms Lynette Chang and Mr Adrian Wee of Lighthouse Law.
Both remain out on bail of S$30,000 (US$23,000) each.
In September, Koh and her husband Raymond Ng were ordered to pay S$12,000 in costs to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) after failing to mount a judicial review against the authority.
Their aim was to get a mandatory order for HSA to investigate and prosecute entities using celebrities to advertise vaccination. The court struck out their application after finding that it was an abuse of process.
The punishment for dishonestly making a false representation is up to 20 years in jail, a fine or both.
If convicted of obstructing public servants, a person may be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$2,500, or both.
If convicted of harassment, a person may be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
For abetting the commission of an offence by the public or more than 10 people, a person can be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.
The punishment for holding an assembly without a permit is a fine of up to S$5,000.
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