Christopher de Souza
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| Current Role | • MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC • Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore |
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| Party | PAP 
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Christopher de Souza (born 21 January 1976) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore since 2020. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ulu Pandan division of Holland–Bukit Timah GRC since 2006.
Aside from his political career, de Souza is a practicing lawyer and a partner at Lee & Lee, where he has worked since 2006, with a brief tenure at WongPartnership between 2011 and 2014. Prior to entering politics, he was part of the Singapore Legal Service. He is registered as "Christopher James de Souza" in the directory of law practitioners on the Ministry of Law website.[1]
For the full list of positions, refer to PARL Link.
Early Life and Education
De Souza attended St. Michael's Primary School, St. Joseph's Institution, and Raffles Junior College. He later pursued law at King's College London, where he graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours). In 2001, he obtained a Bachelor of Civil Law (Distinction) from the University of Oxford under a scholarship.
Beyond academics, de Souza was an accomplished field hockey player and represented Singapore in various tournaments until 2005.
Career
Public Service
De Souza began his career in the Singapore Legal Service in 2002 as a Justice's Law Clerk to Chief Justice Yong Pung How. Between 2004 and 2005, he served as a Deputy Public Prosecutor and State Counsel at the Attorney-General's Chambers. In 2005, he was appointed as a Magistrate in the Subordinate Courts and an Assistant Registrar in the High Court.
Legal career
In 2006, de Souza joined Lee & Lee as a Senior Associate, becoming a Partner in 2008. He later moved to WongPartnership in 2011 as a Partner before returning to Lee & Lee in 2015 in the same role.
In 2022, the Disciplinary Tribunal of the Law Society of Singapore found that de Souza had engaged in professional misconduct by assisting a client in suppressing evidence. However, this decision was overturned on appeal. On 31 July 2023, the Court of Three Judges ruled that de Souza had no intention of suppressing evidence, fully acquitting him. In November 2023, the Law Society of Singapore was ordered to refund him over S$32,000 in legal costs, affirming his complete exoneration.
Political career
De Souza entered politics in the 2006 general election, contesting as part of a five-member PAP team in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC, which won uncontested. He became an MP for the Ulu Pandan division, a position he has retained since.
In the 2011 general election, de Souza was part of the four-member PAP team contesting in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC. The team won with 60.08% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). He retained his seat in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, as the PAP team secured 66.60% and 66.36% of the vote, respectively, against SDP.
Since 2006, de Souza has served on various Government Parliamentary Committees (GPCs). He was Deputy Chairman of the GPC for Manpower from 2011 to 2015 and has been Chairman of the GPC for Home Affairs and Law since 2015. In 2009, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. On 31 August 2020, he was elected Deputy Speaker of Parliament alongside Jessica Tan.
Controversy
In 2022, de Souza faced a significant professional challenge when the Law Society of Singapore brought five charges of professional misconduct against him. The core accusation involved his alleged assistance to a client in suppressing evidence by filing an affidavit that omitted disclosure of a breach of undertaking. Specifically, the client, Amber Compounding Pharmacy, had used documents for unauthorized purposes despite a court order limiting their use.[2]
A disciplinary tribunal found de Souza guilty on one of the five charges and concluded that there was cause of sufficient gravity to warrant disciplinary proceedings before the Court of Three Judges. The tribunal determined that de Souza had failed to make full and frank disclosure, thereby committing professional misconduct.[2]
However, on 31 July 2023, the Court of Three Judges — comprising Justices Belinda Ang, Woo Bih Li, and Kannan Ramesh — unanimously overturned the tribunal’s decision. The court ruled that there was no intention on de Souza’s part to suppress evidence. It emphasized that de Souza had advised the client to be transparent and that the affidavit was not deliberately misleading. As a result, he was fully acquitted of professional misconduct.[2]
In November 2023, the Law Society was ordered to refund de Souza over S$32,000 in legal costs, further affirming his exoneration and clearing any formal sanction from his professional record.[3]
The incident was closely followed in the media and drew attention to the high standards expected of public office holders who are also practicing lawyers. Despite the initial tribunal findings, the appeal judgment helped restore de Souza’s public and professional reputation.
Personal life
De Souza is a Catholic. He and his wife Sharon have four children.
References
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- ↑ https://www.leenlee.com.sg/our-people/partners/de-souza-christopher/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/mp-christopher-de-souza-lawyer-improper-professional-conduct-acquitted-3665811
- ↑ https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/law-society-ordered-refund-christopher-de-souza-costs-over-s32000-after-his-acquittal-2299291