Anti-vax diva Iris Koh was fresh out of threats and tears had replaced the fire in her eyes as she pleaded with the public last night to pay for her self-inflicted legal wounds.
In a tearful appeal, Koh asked for S$100,000 (US$74,400) as she faces prosecution for allegedly conspiring with a doctor to falsify vaccination records and tearing up a police statement late last month while in remand.
“I’m just a simple woman. I’ve always been a musician and entrepreneur all my life. I am not a conspirator. I’ve never gone against the government. And I’ve always been a law-abiding citizen my entire life,” she said.
The government disagrees, pointing to what it says are her attempts to orchestrate the disruption of public health services and scheme to defraud the health ministry.
Dispelling suspicion she might solicit funds transparently, Koh only provided private PayPal and PayNow accounts for donations.
She also wants money to help tilt at her own legal windmills.
Koh has filed three police complaints since her Jan. 21 arrest, she said in the 12-minute video posted yesterday, backed by a light-hearted piano track.
She is accused of referring other vaccination refuseniks to Jipson Quah, a doctor at the Wan Medical Clinic in Bedok North, who allegedly submitted falsified vaccination records to the Ministry of Health.
Koh did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Right after she was freed on a S$20,000 bond, Koh was slapped with an additional charge of refusing to sign and tearing up a police statement while in custody. On Monday, she blasted the police in videos accusing them of snooping on the electronic devices of her assistants and inducing them to make false statements.
In yesterday’s video, Koh sought forgiveness from the public and said she regretted tearing up the police charge sheet. Unchanged was her continuous victim-mode: She blamed her behavior on being “traumatized and mentally tormented” by investigators and her 15 days in lockup.
In fact, it was so serious she said she was diagnosed with “Graves’ disease” – aka hyperthyroidism – and spent five of those days behind bars in a medical facility.
She detailed her hospital experience accusing the police of making her “shit and pee” next to her bed instead of letting her use a hospital toilet. She also said she was chained while showering.
Koh continues to defend herself, saying she is “innocent” and “not a cheat.” She was “just a client” of Quah’s clinic and was doing their part to “help the unvaccinated.” She referred to vaccination using the usual conspiracy theorist tropes as an “experimental gene therapy” and continued promoting her anti-vax group’s unsupported claims as “alternative information.”
“But don’t charge me for cheating because I’m not a cheat. I had to face a bail of twenty thousand and I’m in the process of engaging lawyers to defend myself. I hope to raise any initial fee of one hundred thousand for legal purposes, and I hope that you can support me with this,” she said.
Koh added that she told the police the only crime she’s guilty of is “telling the truth about COVID-19 vaccinations.”
She also sees her cause going mainstream.
“Millions have stood up around the world,” she wrote. “I believe that Singapore will rise up too and I thank you in advance for your support.”
As a fan bonus, she went live again last night to play and sing a tune.
Koh is set to return to court March 14. She is also under investigation for interfering with official duties by attempting to disrupt operations at pediatric vaccination centers and flooding public health hotlines.
If found guilty of voluntarily obstructing a public servant in the discharge of their duties, Koh could be jailed up to three months and fined S$2,500. If found guilty of criminal conspiracy to make false representations, Koh faces up to 20 years behind bars.
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