The daughter-in-law of Singapore’s founding father has been found guilty by a disciplinary tribunal of professional misconduct over her involvement in preparing his will, which is at the heart of a feud between the city-state’s first family.
The latest development in a long-running saga could sow further discord among Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) and his siblings — whose father, Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), cofounded the party which has ruled the city-state unbroken since independence — ahead of an election that must be held early next year.
The feud centers around the fate of Lee Kuan Yew’s old house.
“I disagree with the Disciplinary Tribunal’s report and will fight this strongly when it is heard in open court,” said Lee Suet Fern (林學芬), a lawyer who is married to the prime minister’s younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang (李顯揚).
She made the comments in a text message replying to reporters’ queries.
Lee Hsien Yang, and his sister, Lee Wei Ling (李瑋玲), want the house to eventually be demolished in accordance with what they said was their father’s wishes as stated in his will, but the prime minister has questioned whether their father really wanted the home to be knocked down.
The Singaporean Attorney General’s Chambers had last year referred to the Law Society a case of “possible professional misconduct” over the involvement of Lee Suet Fern in the will as her husband was one of the beneficiaries.
The tribunal in its findings last week, seen by reporters, said it found that the charges against her have been proven beyond reasonable doubt and there was cause for disciplinary action.
It said that even if she had not been Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer, she misled him, and procured his execution of the will on the basis of misrepresentations.
In her defense, her lawyers said Lee Kuan Yew was never her client and she was not instructed by him in relation to the will.
She was merely assisting in a family matter at the request of her husband, they added.
Her case will be referred to the Court of Three Judges, the highest disciplinary body to deal with lawyers’ misconduct, and she could face a fine, suspension or be disbarred, the Straits Times reported.
Her husband did not comment directly on the ruling, but yesterday shared his sister’s Facebook post that criticized the decision.
He has previously said his wife “was never Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer” and that “no one has complained from the outset on the process and circumstances” of his father’s signing his final will.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was