Singapore police are investigating Lee Hsien Yang (李顯揚), the estranged brother of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍), for allegedly providing false evidence over the handling of their late father’s will.
Lee Hsien Yang and his wife, Lee Suet Fern (林學芬), refused to attend a police interview and have since left Singapore, Singaporean Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean (張志賢) said in a written reply to parliament on Thursday.
The couple were found in 2020 to have lied under oath during disciplinary proceedings against Lee Suet Fern related to the last will of former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), who is considered the nation’s founding father.
Photo: AP
Their refusal to participate in the investigation raises questions, Teo said.
“If they maintain their innocence, the investigation will give them the chance to vindicate themselves,” he added.
“The persecution of my family by the Singapore authorities continues unabated,” Hsien Yang said in a Facebook post in response to the parliament reply.
Discord in the Lee family has simmered for years since the patriarch’s death in 2015. The dispute centers on the handling of Lee Kuan Yew’s will and whether 38 Oxley Road should be demolished. The colonial-era bungalow near Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping district was where the former prime minister lived for most of his 91 years.
Lee Suet Fern was suspended for 15 months from practicing law in 2020. She said at the time she disagreed with the punishment for professional misconduct in her handling of the will.
Police said they contacted Lee Suet Fern and Lee Hsien Yang in June last year following a review of the case, and asked them to assist in investigations by attending a interview. They agreed to assist, but requested a different date and then did not attend.
“Instead, they sent a letter via e-mail to the police stating they would not participate in the investigation,” the police said in a statement on Thursday. “The police replied via e-mail, asking them to reconsider their decision. The police have not received any replies to our e-mails till date.”
The disagreement has also included Lee Hsien Yang’s son Li Sheng Wu (李繩武), the prime minister’s nephew. He was found guilty of contempt of court in 2020 and fined for a private Facebook post that criticized the government over its handling of the matter.
He again took to social media to condemn the government after Teo’s comments.
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