Dr Lee Weiling, daughter of late Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), has posted a recent update on her Facebook page, stating that media reports have continued to repeat her elder brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s “false and dishonourable allegations” that her brother, Lee Hsien Yang had somehow swindled their father to get more in his final will.
“This is a lie.” said Dr Lee in her post on Monday (15 Apr) morning.
It is uncertain which media reports that Dr Lee is referring to.
As for the allegations, PM Lee in his statutory declaration to a Ministerial Committee formed in 2017, questioned the role Mrs Lee Suet Fern, Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s lawyer wife, played in the preparation of the last will which her husband had interest in. PM Lee also asserted that Dr Lee had been suspicious as to whether the change in shares was really LKY’s decision or one that was instigated by Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his wife. Dr Lee has denied such claims by PM Lee.
Dr Lee wrote in her recent Facebook post that while her father did gave her a little more than her two brothers in a will in 2012, but he decided to revert to equal shares in 2013 in his final will.
“Equal shares was always our parents intention and agreement between them and with the children.”
Dr Lee went to note that Ms Kwa Kim Li was retained as her father’s lawyer for all his wills save the first (drafted by their mother, Kwa Geok Choo, for which she was the principal beneficiary).
Ms Kwa, the managing partner of the Lee&Lee law firm and niece of Mdm Kwa, had admitted that the previous six versions of the will of LKY was prepared by her but said to The Straits Times back in 2017, “I did not prepare the last will.”
But according to Dr Lee, Kim Li wrote to all three of siblings in Jun 2015 that LKY “was aware that it was intended/agreed that he would divide his entire Estate into 3 equal shares for the 3 children”
“The final will provided for this. Each of us received equal shares in the estate, no more, no less.”
Dr Lee further noted that Kim Li herself advised their father to go to equal shares.
In an e-mail to Dr Lee, Ms Kim allegedly wrote: “I told him …. when he instructed me to divide the estate unequally, that it was already decided that the estate was to be divided equally.”
“This is exactly what was reflected in his final will.” wrote Dr Lee.
The Attorney General Chamber recently filed a complaint to the Law Society about the improper conduct of Mrs Lee Suet Fern with the same allegations that PM Lee made in his statutory declaration under the advice of his former lawyer, Mr Lucien Wong. Mr Wong who is the current Attorney General is said to have recused himself from the complaint itself. Subsequently, the Law Society announced that it is holding a disciplinary tribunal to hear the complaint from AGC.
Back in 2017, the two siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee had accused their brother of abusing his position on their dispute over the demolition of the old property at 38 Oxley Road which led to the Prime Minister to convene a debate in Parliament where he self-declared himself as being innocent of all the allegations put forth against him.