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The Singapore Democratic Party has issued a letter to the Attorney General's Chamber asking for an investigation to be carried out in response to the allegations made against the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Siblings of PM Lee, Dr Lee Weiling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang had accused PM Lee of abusing his power as the Prime Minister of Singapore for his personal agenda in their statement on 14 June 2017 and subsequent postings on their Facebook pages.
The letter penned by Dr Chee Soon Juan, SDP's Secretary-General wrote that the allegations made against PM Lee warrant looking into by the AGC. He writes that even though PM Lee has addressed some of these matters in Parliament on 3 and 4 July 2017, his statements must necessarily be viewed as partisan as they were not subject to critical cross-examination. Noting that PM Lee has also refused to convene a Commission of Inquiry despite widespread calls from the public to do so.
Dr Chee notes to the Attorney General, Mr Lucien Wong in his letter that in the interest of the rule of law and accountability, it is imperative that Singapore's legal system demonstrates impartiality by investigating the allegations and counter-allegations by the parties involved without fear of favour. Calling upon the AGC to do whatever is within its powers or to direct law enforcement agencies to interview all relevant witnesses and subpoena necessary documents to get to the bottom of the matter. Stating that the outcome of the investigation and action(s) led by the AGC should be guided by the evidence and no other consideration.
Dr Chee further notes that as there have been questions raised regarding Mr Wong's recent appointment as Attorney-General, it is crucial that he recuse himself from dealing with this matter and assign the job to Deputy AG Lionel Yee Woon Chin. It is also advised against appointing the other Deputy AG, Mr Hri Kumar, to look into the matter given his long association with the People's Action Party as a member of parliament.
Below is the letter in full
7 July 2017
Mr Lucien Wong
Attorney-General
Attorney-General's Chambers
1 Upper Pickering St
Singapore 058288
Email: [email protected].
Dear sir,
INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGATIONS MADE AGAINST PM LEE HSIEN LOONG
As you may know, Dr Lee Wei Ling (“LWL”) and Mr Lee Hsien Yang (“LHY”) have accused Mr Lee Hsien Loong (“LHL”) of abuse of power in his capacity as Prime Minister of Singapore.
Specifically, PM Lee's siblings, individually or jointly, noted that:
1. PM Lee Hsien Loong had made “false claims” in Parliament
In their Facebook post on 4 July 2017 here, LWL and LHY made a grave charge that “LHL has made convoluted, but ultimately false claims about Lee Kuan Yew's (“LKY”) wishes.” They were referring to LHL's Parliamentary speech on 3 July 2017 where LHL stated that the late Lee Kuan Yew had changed his position from demolishing his house, 38 Oxley Road, to preserving it. LWL and LHY have produced emails to substantiate their claim.
2. Ho Ching had no business acting on behalf of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)
LHY posted on his Facebook on 22 June here that Ms Ho Ching (“HC”), LHL's wife, had gone to 38 Oxley Road to remove items in the residence and handed them over to the National Heritage Board. LHY pointed out that Ms Ho was not an elected official nor was she an appointed officer of the PMO and yet she was listed as the “contact representative for the PMO”.
In addition, LHY stated in his post that HC did not seek permission from him and LWL as executors of LKY's Estate to remove items from the house. This, he said, constituted “theft and intermeddling”.
3. LHL acted inappropriately on the Deed of Gift
LHY stated in his Facebook post on 22 June 2017 here that LHL had obtained the Deed of Gift in his capacity as Prime Minister but used it in his personal capacity to take legal action against LWL and LHY.
4. The appointment of the Ministerial Committee was questionable
LHY and LWL have stated that LHL, after signing a settlement agreement with them as executors of LKY's estate, went on to make a statutory declaration to a secret Ministerial Committee which appeared to have been established to challenge Mr LKY's will instead of its professed objective of exploring options for the Oxley house. The details of this committee were not provided to them until they went public with their accusations and the origins of the committee have not been clarified to date.
Furthermore, LWL and LHY have claimed here that, with regard to LKY's position on the Oxley House, LHL's statutory declaration to the Ministerial Committee contradicts his own statement to Parliament in April 2015 where LHL said LKY's position was “unwavering over the years and fully consistent with his lifelong values.”
The above are allegations made against LHL that, prima facie, warrant looking into by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC). Even though LHL has addressed some of these matters in Parliament on 3 and 4 July 2017, his statements must necessarily be viewed as partisan as they were not subject to critical cross-examination. He has also refused to convene a Commission of Inquiry despite widespread calls from the public to do so.
In the interest of the rule of law and accountability, it is imperative that our legal system demonstrates impartiality by investigating the allegations and counter-allegations by the parties involved without fear of favour.
As such, we call on the AGC to do whatever is within its powers or to direct law enforcement agencies to interview all relevant witnesses and subpoena necessary documents to get to the bottom of the matter. The outcome of the investigation and action(s) led by the AGC should be guided by the evidence and no other consideration.
As there have been questions raised regarding your recent appointment as Attorney-General, it is crucial that you recuse yourself from dealing with this matter and assign the job to Deputy AG Lionel Yee Woon Chin. We also advise against appointing your other Deputy AG, Mr Hri Kumar, to look into the matter given his long association with the People's Action Party as a member of parliament.
We trust that you will give this matter your urgent and utmost attention as the standing of our nation is at stake. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely yours,
Chee Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party