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Lee Hsien Yang Pays Over $600,000 to Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan for Defamation

 


Lee Hsien Yang was ordered to pay $619,335.53 to Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan after being sued for defamation. The High Court ruled against him in November 2023, after he failed to respond or appear in court, and awarded the ministers $200,000 each in damages, plus $50,000 in aggravated damages. The court noted that Lee acted with malice, knowing his statements were false. His defamatory claims were made in a Facebook post, accusing the ministers of receiving preferential treatment in renting Ridout Road bungalows.

Description of the Ridout Saga

The controversy around Ridout Road began when it became known that Shanmugam and Balakrishnan were leasing state-owned black-and-white colonial bungalows. Public concerns arose over possible conflicts of interest, given that Shanmugam heads the Ministry of Law, which oversees the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), the body responsible for leasing the properties. An investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and a review by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean cleared both ministers of any wrongdoing. However, concerns about perceived conflict of interest and inequality continued to be discussed. A six-hour parliamentary debate followed, addressing accountability, public perception, and fairness in such matters.

Lee Hsien Yang’s Reply to the Payment

Lee Hsien Yang, in his September 2024 Facebook post, explained that he paid the ministers the damages to honor his father Lee Kuan Yew's wishes concerning the family home at 38 Oxley Road, which he referred to as his "significant asset" in Singapore. He claimed the payment was necessary to allow his sister, Dr. Lee Wei Ling, to continue living in the house due to her illness. The ministers, however, rejected this connection, emphasizing that the defamation case had no relation to 38 Oxley Road, and reiterated that the damages would be donated to charity. They also pointed out that Lee had other assets in Singapore that could have settled the debt if needed.


The six-hour parliamentary debate on the Ridout Road saga, which took place in July 2023, did not lead to a formal legal verdict but rather served as a forum to address public concerns and provide transparency on the matter. During the debate, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean presented findings from an investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), which cleared both Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan of any wrongdoing or preferential treatment in their rental of the state-owned Ridout Road bungalows.

The key conclusions from the debate were:

  1. No Corruption or Wrongdoing: The CPIB found no evidence of corruption, criminal wrongdoing, or conflict of interest in the rental transactions.
  2. Ministers' Conduct: Both ministers had acted appropriately and taken steps to avoid any conflict of interest. For instance, Shanmugam had recused himself from the decision-making process related to the properties.
  3. Public Perception: While the legal investigations cleared the ministers, much of the debate centered on the importance of public perception, accountability, and transparency in governance.

Although there was no formal legal verdict, the debate reaffirmed that the ministers had acted properly according to the laws and ethical guidelines, though it highlighted the need for enhanced procedures to address potential conflicts of interest in the future.




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