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©The
Straits Times, Singapore (Used by permission)
by Khushwant Singh
He claims partner who installed spy camera blackmailed him into selling his
share in their business
A MARRIED doctor who had an affair with his clinic assistant was shocked when
his partner installed a spy camera and caught him having sex with the woman.
Now, Dr Tam Tak Chuen, 39, is claiming in a civil suit that he was blackmailed
into selling his share of the business for $50,000.
He says he gave in to pressure to sell, fearing that the affair would be exposed
and the film of his tryst would land on the YouTube video-sharing website.
He wants the High Court to declare the deal null and void, and wants to get back
his share.
He was in business with two doctors, Dr Khairul Abdul Rahman and Dr Ashraff
Shamsuddin Eilyaas.
Dr Ashraff settled with Dr Tam when the hearing began before Justice Judith
Prakash on Monday. But Dr Khairul is denying that there was any pressure on Dr
Tam to sell his stake.
Dr Tam and Dr Khairul were equal partners of the Eden Family Clinic in Jurong
West and one-third partners of Eden Medical Aesthetics in Kembangan together
with Dr Ashraff.
The businesses were worth more than $2 million, and Dr Tam was earning about
$250,000 a year.
Dr Tam said the woman started working at the clinic in 1999 and their affair
started sometime in 2004.
It was at a partners' meeting on March 4 last year that everything changed.
Dr Tam said that Dr Khairul, who had had the spy camera installed in the clinic,
whipped out photographs showing him having sex with the woman.
He said that he was given a choice of either selling his share in the Eden
Family Clinic, or buying out Dr Khairul.
He offered to buy Dr Khairul's share for $50,000 but, he said, he was told he
was in no position to negotiate.
Dr Khairul did not want them both to sell to a third party, and threatened to
apply to wind up the companies and expose the photographs of Dr Tam with the
clinic assistant, Dr Tam said on Monday.
'I was very afraid as I wanted to save my marriage and reputation by not having
the pictures and video out there in public or on YouTube,' he said.
Another shock awaited him when he got home that day.
He discovered that Dr Khairul's wife had gone to his home, told his wife about
his affair and shown her the photographs.
He said he felt completely betrayed as his partners had promised to keep the
matter under wraps.
Fortunately, he said, his wife forgave him.
He made a police report saying he was being blackmailed. The police took the
pictures and video recording, but dropped their investigations last August.
Dr Tam denied that the clinic assistant had been his patient. He said she would
consult him about minor ailments and he treated her without charge, like all
other staff members.
When it was his turn on the stand yesterday, Dr Khairul said that he installed
the spy camera when he got tired of Dr Tam denying the affair and wanted to get
to the truth.
Once he had the proof, he wanted Dr Tam out of the partnership.
He believed that the affair began as early as 2000, and added that some staff
members said they had seen Dr Tam and the woman heading to the clinic's second
floor near closing time, when it had no patients.
Dr Khairul said he had found stains on a mattress he kept on the second floor
for naps during his breaks.
He said that he had confronted Dr Tam with his suspicions, but the latter denied
it every time.
It was only after the spy camera caught him in the act that he finally came
clean, Dr Khairul said.
Dr Tam is being represented by Mr Ang Cheng Hock of Allen & Gledhill, while Mr
Harish Kumar of Rajah & Tann is acting for Dr Khairul.
The hearing continues.
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