Defamation trial: Closed-door hearing on Thursday morning to determine whether LKY’s lawyer Kwa Kim Li will testify

The trial of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s defamation suit against TOC chief editor Terry Xu is set to continue on Thursday (3 December), with a closed-door hearing in the morning on whether the late Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer Kwa Kim Li will be testifying.

PM Lee’s defamation suit against Mr Xu pertains to an article published on TOC on 15 August last year titled “PM Lee’s wife, Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”.

The article contained alleged defamatory statements made by PM Lee’s siblings Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling in relation to the 38 Oxley Road dispute.

Mr Xu had served a subpoena on Mdm Kwa on 7 October for her to testify as a defence witness. Ms Kwa, however, is applying to have the subpoena set aside.

Mdm Kwa, the niece of the late Mr LKY’s wife Kwa Geok Choo, is represented by lawyers from Drew and Napier. She was the lawyer tasked with drafting Mr LKY’s will and had admitted being part of drafting six of the seven wills.

Mdm Kwa previously told The Straits Times that she did not prepare Mr LKY’s last will.

Dr LWL, however, alleged that Mdm Kwa had “extensively” discussed changes Mr LKY wanted to make to his will before he signed the December 2013 will — the seventh and final will.

“From late November 2013 all the way till Friday 13 December 2013, my father had had discussions and exchanged emails with KKL of Lee & Lee on what he wanted in his will. These included discussions of his immediately prior will.

“The will my father signed on Tuesday 17 December 2013 reflected these prior discussions with his lawyer KKL,” Dr LWL claimed in a Facebook post on 30 April last year.

Mr LHY similarly previously claimed that the will was “drafted by Kwa Kim Li of Lee&Lee”.

If Mdm Kwa’s application is set aside by the judge, she will have to appear in court in the afternoon to testify.