The Honourable
Christopher de Souza
de Souza in 2015
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
Assumed office
31 August 2020
Serving with Jessica Tan
SpeakerSeah Kian Peng
(2023–present)
Tan Chuan-Jin
(2017–2023)
Preceded byCharles Chong
Lim Biow Chuan
Member of Parliament
for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC
(Ulu Pandan)
Assumed office
6 May 2006
Preceded byVivian Balakrishnan
Majority34,991 (32.72%)
Personal details
Born (1976-01-21) 21 January 1976
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
Alma materKing's College London (LLB)
University of Oxford (BCL)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer

Christopher de Souza (born 21 January 1976) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who has been serving 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) representing the Ulu Pandan division of Holland–Bukit Timah GRC since 2006.

A lawyer by profession, de Souza has been working at Lee & Lee since 2006[1][2] and had also worked at WongPartnership between 2011 and 2014.

Prior to entering politics in the 2006 general election, he had worked in the Singapore Legal Service.[3]

Early life and education

De Souza was educated at St. Michael's Primary School, St. Joseph's Institution and Raffles Junior College before graduating from King's College London in 2000 with a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours degree.

He subsequently went on to complete a Bachelor of Civil Law with distinction degree at the University of Oxford in 2001 under a scholarship.[3]

He had also represented Singapore in hockey at various tournaments until 2005.[3][4]

Career

Public service

De Souza started his career in the Singapore Legal Service in 2002 as a Justice's Law Clerk to Chief Justice Yong Pung How. He served as Deputy Public Prosecutor and State Counsel at the Attorney-General's Chambers between 2004 and 2005 before becoming a Magistrate at the Subordinate Courts and Assistant Registrar at the High Court between 2005 and 2006.[5][3]

De Souza joined Lee & Lee in 2006 as a Senior Associate before he became a Partner in 2008. In 2011, he left Lee & Lee and joined WongPartnership as a Partner.[6] In 2015, he left WongPartnership and returned to Lee & Lee as a Partner.[3]

In 2022, De Souza was found guilty of professional misconduct by a Disciplinary Tribunal of the Law Society of Singapore for assisting a client in the suppression of evidence.[7] Upon appeal, De Souza was acquitted by the Court of Three Judges on 31 July 2023, after it found that De Souza never had the intention to suppress the evidence on behalf of his client.[8][9]

Political career

De Souza made his political debut in the 2006 general election when he joined a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC. The PAP team won by an uncontested walkover and de Souza thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Ulu Pandan ward of Holland–Bukit Timah GRC.[10]

During the 2011 general election, de Souza joined the four-member PAP team contesting in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC. After they won with 60.08% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party, de Souza continued serving as the Member of Parliament representing the Ulu Pandan ward of Holland–Bukit Timah GRC.[11][5] He retained his parliamentary seats in the subsequent general elections in 2015 and 2020 after the PAP team in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC won with 66.60% and 66.36% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party in those two general elections.[10]

De Souza has served on various Government Parliamentary Committees (GPCs) since 2006, and has been the Deputy Chairman for the GPC on Manpower from 2011 to 2015, and Chairman for the GPC on Home Affairs and Law since 2015.[10] In 2009, he was nominated as a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum.[12] On 31 August 2020, de Souza and Jessica Tan were elected as Deputy Speakers of Parliament.[10]

Personal life

De Souza is a Catholic.[13] He and his wife Sharon have four children.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Christopher de Souza Parliament of Singapore Archived 20 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 22 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Lee & Lee - Partners - Christopher de Souza Archived 30 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 22 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Member's CV" (PDF).
  4. ↑ Lee & Lee - Partners - Christopher de Souza Archived 5 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 31 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 People's Action Party - MP-Elect Profile - Christopher de Souza Archived 4 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 16 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "WongPartnership adds lawmaker as partner from Lee & Lee | Asian Legal Business". www.legalbusinessonline.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Lum, Selina (6 December 2022). "Lawyer and MP Christopher de Souza found guilty of professional misconduct, denies charge". The Straits Times. Retrieved 7 December 2022. We are of the view that the failure to make such full and frank disclosure amounted to suppression of evidence by Amber, and by filing the supporting affidavit, the respondent was a party to and assisted in such suppression
  8. ↑ "Court of Three Judges acquits MP Christopher de Souza of misconduct as a lawyer". CNA. 31 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "Court acquits lawyer and MP Christopher de Souza of professional misconduct charge". The Straits Times. 31 July 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "MP | Parliament of Singapore".
  11. ↑ Final tally of votes cast for GE2011 released Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Fann Sim, SingaporeScene, Yahoo! News Singapore, 12 May 2011, accessed on 16 September 2011.
  12. ↑ World Economic Forum - Christopher De Souza Archived 14 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 16 September 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Catholic MP talks about his faith and family values".
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