SINGAPORE – A woman said to have a litigious tendency was ordered by the High Court to provide $15,000 as security to cover the potential costs of a court challenge she filed against a decision by the Singapore police to close her case.
The sum is to be deposited with the court, acting as collateral to cover potential legal costs incurred by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in the event that she fails in her application for judicial review.
Madam Yang Hong had argued that she was willing to pay $1 to move the case forward.
The Chinese national was ordered on Nov 11, 2025, to deposit $15,000 with the Supreme Court registry but has since filed an appeal against the order.
In written grounds of decision issued on Jan 7, Assistant Registrar Randeep Singh Koonar said it was just to order security for costs given that the SPF would likely face significant difficulties in enforcing costs orders against Madam Yang in China.
The assistant registrar added that her challenge did not have a reasonable prospect of success and that ordering security for costs would not unfairly stifle her claim.
He said $15,000 was a reasonable sum, considering the costs guidelines of $14,000 to $35,000 for judicial review proceedings and the amount of work and time likely to be involved in defending the case.
“It would also be obvious that Madam Yang had a litigious streak, and a propensity to advance wide-ranging arguments, with little regard to their merit,” he said, noting that she has inundated the court with a mass of documents without explaining their relevance.
“It was Madam Yang’s prerogative to formulate her claim. However, she could not expect to be excused from the costs consequences which came with running a wide-ranging and extravagant case.”
