In a high-profile legal battle, two Indian-origin cabinet Ministers in Singapore have filed a defamation lawsuit against Lee Hsien Yang, the younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. This legal action stems from allegations related to their occupancy of two state-owned bungalows. The case is set for a crucial conference on Tuesday, September 5, at 9 am, as confirmed by the Singapore Courts’ official website, according to a report by Channel News Asia.
The two Ministers at the center of this dispute are K. Shanmugam, who holds the portfolios of Law and Home Affairs, and Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister. Back in July, both Ministers took the step of sending legal letters to Lee Hsien Yang, stating their intention to sue him unless he issues an apology, withdraws his allegations, and compensates them for damages related to the colonial-era bungalows located on Ridout Road.
The allegations that have sparked this legal feud were first aired by Lee Hsien Yang, who accused the Ministers of engaging in corrupt practices and pursuing personal gain. Specifically, he claimed that they received preferential treatment from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) by allegedly felling trees without proper approval and having the SLA foot the bill for renovations to properties at 26 and 31 Ridout Road. Shanmugam categorically denied these allegations, asserting that they were false.
The controversy escalated to the point where Lee Hsien Yang and his wife left Singapore after refusing to attend a police interview in July 2022, which was linked to allegations of making false statements during judicial proceedings concerning the will of their late father and Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.
Shanmugam explained that he had rented the Ridout Road property as part of managing his family’s assets and preparing it for sale, rather than for personal profit.
This entire episode regarding the rental of the two Ridout Road state-owned properties came to public attention in early May when Kenneth Jeyaretnam, an opposition politician and leader of the Reform Party, questioned whether the Ministers were paying a fair market rate for the bungalows.
The allegations prompted the intervention of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), which was tasked with examining any potential misconduct related to the property transactions. The CPIB’s findings, released on June 28, concluded that the Ministers did not gain access to privileged information, were not shown preferential treatment, and that their rental rates were in line with those of neighboring properties.
The matter eventually made its way to the floor of the Singaporean parliament, where it was debated on July 3.
Lee Hsien Yang has been quite active on Facebook, posting at least eight messages regarding Ridout Road, both before and after the release of the CPIB’s report and the parliamentary debate. One of his posts on July 23 led to a correction directive issued under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), with the Law Ministry stating that it contained untrue statements.
Despite residing in the United Kingdom at the time, Lee Hsien Yang challenged the Ministers to sue him there. However, it’s worth noting that he can still be sued in Singapore, regardless of his overseas location, as highlighted by the media report.
As this legal saga unfolds, it continues to draw significant public attention and scrutiny, with both sides staunchly defending their positions in what promises to be a closely watched courtroom battle.
