The father who took overseas holidays instead of paying $2k monthly child support

A man, who claimed he had no money to pay for his children's support, did nothing when close to $60,000 of salary owed was banked into his account by a former employer.

He steadfastly refused to pay the total monthly payment of about $2,200, claiming that he could not find a job despite having a postgraduate degree from National University of Singapore and a diploma from Temasek Polytechnic.

He also gave the excuse that he was neck-deep in debt and did not have any spare cash for his children. Yet, he did not explain why his children could find branded items among his belongings and how he could continue to travel overseas for holidays.

His antics earned a rebuke from High Court Judge Kwek Mean Luck because the law has imposed an obligation for parents to take care of their children after their divorce.

"A parent cannot derogate from such responsibility solely on the basis that such parent has other bills to pay. It is part of a parent's responsibility to manage finances such that the children are sufficiently provided for," he said.

Justice Kwek ordered the man to pay the monthly amount as well as about $27,000 of child support that he had owed for over a year.

The children's mother told the court that her former husband, who used to earn about $8,000 as an IT professional, had not paid for his children's support since January 2023.

The woman, whose monthly income is $3,700, has been able to provide for only their basic needs after she used up her savings.

The man claimed that his current monthly income was $6,000, so he would have problems paying the monthly maintenance of about $2,200 as well as the monthly instalment of about $2,900 ordered by the Family Justice Court to clear the amount he owed.

Parents who don't pay

Justice Kwek noted that based on the man's monthly expenses of $1,200, he would still have money from his salary as well as savings to pay the child support.

The man claimed he had other debts to clear but did not provide any proof of how much he owed. But even if he had other bills to pay, the judge said he still has the responsibility to manage his finances so that he could provide for his children.

Justice Kwek highlighted previous cases on how courts had dealt with fathers who claimed they had no money to pay child support.

In one case, the father was jobless and a bankrupt. While the court ruled that he did not have to pay his former wife, he could not refuse to pay for child support due to his job and financial status.

In another case, a mother was ordered to pay for her share of child support even though she was jobless. This was because the court found that she had other incomes from her "substantial financial resources".

The courts have also heard cases involving parents who were jobless because they did not try to look for work.

In one case, the man claimed his job applications were all rejected. But the court noted that all the applications were done shortly before the hearing, which meant that he had deliberately chosen to stay unemployed for over a year.

In the current case, the father also claimed he could not find a job for a while but did not give any valid reason. Justice Kwek concluded that his unemployment was by his own choice, especially when he had tertiary qualifications and experience as an IT professional.

But he ordered that the backdated child support be paid over 18 months instead of nine months, reducing the monthly instalments to below $1,500. Together with the monthly maintenance, this meant that the father still had to pay about $3,700 till the debt is settled.

Justice Kwek said: "The husband said that he cares for his children. I encourage him to draw on his love for his children to take on his responsibility as a father to provide for their maintenance.