Mr Lee Hsien Yang (LHY) has come out to re-emphasis that his wife, Ms Lee Suet Fern was never the lawyer for his father, late Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) and questions the agenda of Attorney General Chambers for pursuing a private matter after all these years with the use of public resources.
LHY, brother of the current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, made a Facebook post on Monday evening to respond to the recent action taken by AGC. Yesterday, his sister, Dr Lee Weiling revealed that AGC filed a 500-paged complaint to the Singapore Law Society against his wife over the alleged involvement in the preparation of LKY’s will.
AGC in its press statement, said it became aware of a possible case of professional misconduct by Ms Lee and has a statutory duty to deal with misconduct by lawyers. It added that the referral “does not relate to the validity of the Last Will of Mr Lee Kuan Yew”, but noted that the legal profession’s code of conduct requires that lawyers do not place themselves in a position of conflict.
“Mrs Lee appears to have prepared the Last Will of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and arranged for Mr Lee Kuan Yew to execute it, despite the fact that her husband, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, is one of the beneficiaries under the Last Will.
“Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s share increased under the Last Will,” said the AGC.
LHY: LKY directed the will and there was no contest from any parties
In his Facebook post, LHY noted that the LKY’s will was executed some 5 years ago and that his wife was never his father’s lawyer. This was already mentioned in his early statements made in 2017.
He wrote, “Our father informed his entire family and his lawyers at Lee & Lee when he completed his will and kept his will at Lee & Lee. This was his re-signing of his 2011 will in which Minister Shanmugam was involved. Lee & Lee had been our father’s lawyers for all his wills since his first will in 1995. That first will was drafted by our mother, Kwa Geok Choo, who was then the principal beneficiary under our father’s will.”
In his earlier response to TodayOnline on Monday, LHY clarified that Mrs Lee’s law firm did not draft any will. He added that Paragraph 7 of the will — where Mr Lee Kuan Yew who is a lawyer himself, expressed his wishes for the family home — was drafted at his father’s direction, and “put into language” by Mrs Lee.
Para 7 writes:
“I further declare that it is my wish and the wish of my late Wife, KWA GEOK CHOO, that our house at 38 Oxley Road, Singapore 238629 (“the House”) be demolished immediately after my death, or if my daughter Wei Ling, would prefer to continue living in the original house, immediately after she moves out of the House. I would ask each of my children to ensure our wishes with respect to the demolition of the House be carried out.”
LHY further noted that his father had asked Ms Kwa to insert it into his will.
But according to PM Lee’s statutory declaration in June 2017, PM Lee claims that Ms Kwa Kim Li of the law firm M/s Lee & Lee, had prepared all of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wills, except the last one.
LHY emphasised that no one has complained from the outset on the process and circumstances of their father’s signing his final will – “not Lee Kuan Yew, not his estate which stands in his shoes after his death, not any of the beneficiaries, including Lee Hsien Loong, who was advised by Lucien Wong, now AG.”
“The will was proven in court in 2015 with no issues raised; all parties have acted in accordance with the will since then.” wrote LHY.
He asked, “What public interest is being served by AGC here? Why waste public resources on a private matter, and after all this time? Why is AGC rushing this case in 2019 when the facts were known by all parties for years?”
LHY asks AGC to release full correspondence with his wife
AGC, which is currently headed by Mr Lucien Wong, said: “The AGC has written to Mrs Lee several times, since October 2018, asking her to explain the position, and her role (if any) in the preparation of the Last Will. Mrs Lee was also assured that if she had good explanations for her conduct, then the matter will end. However, despite asking for extensions of time to respond, Mrs Lee did not answer the questions that AGC had asked.”
“Given her refusal to answer, AGC then referred the matter to the Law Society. The Deputy Attorney-General has also further requested that the matter be referred to a Disciplinary Tribunal,” said the AGC.
However, LHY wrote that AGC’s claim is untrue and that it should release the full correspondence.
LHY and LWL in their 2017 public statement had expressed their non confidence in their brother as Prime Minister and wrote that they are worried about Singapore’s future in his hands. Stating that they are disturbed by the character, conduct, motives and leadership of their brother, Lee Hsien Loong, and the role of his wife, Ho Ching.
The severe allegations by the two were never investigated upon and dismissed after PM Lee held a two days debate in Parliament on the matter and cleared himself of any suspicion by declaring that he was not guilty of the allegations.
