Singapore police are investigating Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, for allegedly giving false evidence over the handling of their late father’s will.
(Bloomberg) — Singapore police are investigating Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, for allegedly giving false evidence over the handling of their late father’s will.
Hsien Yang and his wife Lee Suet Fern refused to attend a police interview and have since left Singapore, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said in a written reply to parliament on Thursday. The couple were found in 2020 to have lied under oath during disciplinary proceedings against the wife related to the last will of Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore.
Their refusal to participate in the investigation raises questions, Teo said. “If they maintain their innocence, the investigation will give them the chance to vindicate themselves,” he added.
The Prime Minister’s Office referred Bloomberg News’ request for comment to Teo.
“The persecution of my family by the Singapore authorities continues unabated,” Hsien Yang said in a Facebook post in response to the parliament reply.
Discord in the Lee family has simmered for years since the patriarch’s death in 2015. The dispute centers on whether 38 Oxley Road should be demolished and the handling of Lee Kuan Yew’s will. The colonial-era bungalow near Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping belt was where he lived for most of his 91 years.
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Suet Fern was suspended for 15 months from practicing law in 2020. She said at the time she disagreed with the punishment for professional misconduct in her handling of the will.
Police said they contacted Suet Fern and Hsien Yang in June following a review of the case and asked them to assist in investigations by attending a interview. They agreed to assist but requested a different date and then didn’t turn up.
“Instead, they sent a letter via email to the police stating they would not participate in the investigation,” the police said in a statement late Thursday. “The police replied via email, asking them to reconsider their decision. The police have not received any replies to our emails till date.”
The row has also included Hsien Yang’s son Li Sheng Wu, who is also the prime minister’s nephew. He was found guilty of contempt of court in 2020 and fined for a private Facebook post that criticized the government over its handling of the matter. He again took to social media to condemn the government after Teo’s comments.
(Updates throughout)
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