Lee Hsien Loong obtained deed of gift for Oxley house items in his capacity as PM: Hsien Yang
Lee Hsien Yang has reiterated his assertion that his brother Lee Hsien Loong obtained a document relating to their family home in Oxley Road, in his official capacity as Prime Minister.
On Thursday (22 June), Hsien Yang said in a Facebook post, “3 days ago, we asked: Did LHL acquire the Deed of Gift in his public capacity, or in his private capacity? We already knew the answer.”
He added that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had written to him on 25 June 2015 explaining that PM Lee had received the deed of gift in his role as the Prime Minister.
The Facebook post includes what appears to be an excerpt from the AGC letter. Hsien Yang concluded, “When other ministers receive confidential documents in their official capacities, are they also allowed to use these documents to fight personal legal battles with family?”
Hsien Yang and his sister Lee Wei Ling had claimed in their statement on 14 June 2017 that PM Lee obtained the deed of gift from the National Heritage Board in 2015 in order to advance his personal agenda.
A deed of gift is a legal agreement to transfer ownership of possessions with no monetary transaction. The document was for the donation of items from the house at 38 Oxley Road for a public exhibition, the siblings said. They had stipulated that their late father Lee Kuan Yew’s wish for the house to be demolished should be displayed prominently at the exhibition.
In an earlier post on 19 June, Hsien Yang said that if PM Lee had acquired the deed of gift in his public capacity, it was “a clear abuse of authority” to use it in his personal legal disputes.
The children of former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew have been embroiled in a public spat over the fate of the Oxley Road house. PM Lee’s younger siblings have accused him of abusing his power to prevent the house from being demolished as per the late Lee’s final will.
PM Lee apologised to Singaporeans on Monday (19 June) for the family feud that has “disturbed and confused” Singaporeans and said he would be making a Ministerial Statement in Parliament on 3 July to refute the allegations against him.
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