Singapore - Singapore's most vocal opposition leader and a supporter will go on trial again July 14 for speaking in public without a permit, the third time the pair face a judge since the run-up to the 2006 general elections.

Chee Soon Juan's lawyer, Chia Ti Lik, said Thursday that the trial of Chee and party supporter Yap Keng Ho will involve only one of six charges. The other five are pending.

The district court has set aside up to four weeks for the trial.

Chee and Yap initially faced eight counts each of illegally addressing a crowd. Two have been dealt with.

Yap served a 10-day jail term two weeks ago. Chee, who was given a 5,000-Singapore-dollar (3,731-US-dollar) fine, is appealing the conviction.

The 46-year-old Chee, the secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), spent 12 days in jail this month for contempt of court while his sister Chee Siok Chin served 10 days for a similar offence arising from a three-day hearing in May.

Chee's 12-day sentence was the most severe for contempt in the city-state.

The siblings were judged to have committed the offence during the hearing to assess damages from a defamation suit brought against them and the SDP by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

No date was set for the ruling on damages, but both Chees are already bankrupt from previous legal precedings.

The Lees have won hundreds of thousands of dollars from defamation suits against critics.

Singapore's leaders say the suits are necessary to protect their reputations. (dpa)