SINGAPORE: Mr Lee Hsien Yang is popping a “private vendetta” into a global smear marketing campaign “in opposition to his father, his household and his nation”, mentioned the Singapore authorities on Thursday (Oct 31) after the son of the nation’s founding prime minister gave one other media interview – the second in barely over per week – criticising it.
In an interview with The Related Press (AP), he made a spread of claims together with saying that Singapore has grow to be rather more repressive.
The article printed earlier on Thursday – titled Singapore’s prosperous veneer hides repression and corruption, says son of its modern-day founder – additionally quoted him as saying that corruption has worsened within the decade for the reason that loss of life of his father and founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
In response to media queries from AP, the Singapore authorities mentioned that Mr Lee Hsien Yang was a “main beneficiary of the Singapore system”.
However having been discovered by the court docket and a Disciplinary Tribunal to have misled his father, he has “determined to show his private vendetta into a global smear marketing campaign in opposition to his father, his household and his nation”.
The Singapore authorities mentioned in its response that AP ought to take into account the information and conclusions from the Disciplinary Tribunal when assessing the credibility of the claims made by Mr Lee Hsien Yang.
First, the tribunal discovered that he and his spouse Mrs Lee Suet Fern offered “an elaborate edifice of lies” on the execution of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s final will.
Each the Disciplinary Tribunal and later the Court docket of Three Judges, the best disciplinary physique coping with attorneys’ misconduct, discovered Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his spouse misled Mr Lee Kuan Yew within the execution of his final will.
They have been additionally discovered to have lied beneath oath.
The findings of the Court docket of Three Judges and the Disciplinary Tribunal can be found on-line, mentioned the federal government.
“I belief that additionally, you will make these out there to your readers, in order that they will decide for themselves the credibility of the claims now made by Lee Hsien Yang,” it mentioned.
“NOT BASED ON PRINCIPLES”
One other instance of how Mr Lee Hsien Yang has turned his private vendetta into a global smear marketing campaign is an allegation he made in his asylum utility, mentioned the federal government.
“Tellingly, he appears to have alleged in his asylum utility within the UK that one motive why he and his household are being persecuted by the Singapore authorities is to stop his son, Li Shengwu, from being prime minister. That he would go as far as to allege this – although his son has repeatedly mentioned he has no such ambition – reveals his marketing campaign in opposition to Singapore shouldn’t be primarily based on ideas.”
Mr Lee Hsien Yang mentioned on Oct 22 that he was now a political refugee in the UK after in search of asylum safety in 2022. Citing the Singapore authorities’s “assaults” in opposition to him, he mentioned he sought asylum safety “as a final resort”.
Mr Lee and his spouse have been out of Singapore since 2022 after deciding to not attend a scheduled police interview over potential offences of giving false proof in judicial proceedings concerning the desire of his father.
The federal government assertion additionally referenced a latest interview Mr Lee Hsien Yang gave to The Guardian, a UK-based newspaper.
He claimed that Singapore retains repressive measures that originated when his father Mr Lee Kuan Yew was prime minister.
“Nevertheless, after being known as unfilial by Singaporeans for criticising his father thus, Lee Hsien Yang now asserts as a substitute that Singapore’s legal guidelines have grow to be rather more politically repressive since Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s loss of life.”
The federal government mentioned that Singapore is the one Southeast Asian nation that has held common elections, with out fail and with out ever suspending its Structure or imposing martial legislation as soon as, in its post-independence historical past.
“Singaporeans are free to vote for whichever social gathering they assume can higher serve Singapore and Singaporeans. About 40 per cent of Singaporeans vote for opposition events,” mentioned the federal government, including that there are actually extra opposition MPs in parliament than ever earlier than within the historical past of unbiased Singapore.
The federal government added that Mr Lee himself freely participated in politics.
“He joined an opposition social gathering earlier than the 2020 Basic Election; thought-about contesting solely to again off on the final minute; and continues to fund and assist the opposition from afar.
“Lee Hsien Yang shouldn’t be a sufferer of persecution. He and his spouse stay residents. They’re and have all the time been free to return to Singapore.”
SINGAPORE’S FIRM STANCE AGAINST CORRUPTION
In his interview, Mr Lee Hsien Yang cited examples of alleged corruption together with the billion-dollar cash laundering case and the 1Malaysia Improvement Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal.
“All of the examples of alleged corruption that Lee Hsien Yang cites have been totally addressed, both via the courts or in parliament,” mentioned the federal government.
Ten of the offenders concerned within the billion-dollar cash laundering case have been sentenced in court docket and had their property seized.
One other seventeen people who left Singapore have additionally had their property frozen and seized, with warrants of arrest and Interpol Crimson Notices issued in opposition to 4 of them. Interpol Blue Notices have been issued in opposition to remaining 13, mentioned the federal government.
Relating to 1MDB, the federal government mentioned it took “strong actions” in opposition to banks and people who didn’t discharge their anti-money laundering obligations within the case.
It additionally ordered the closure of the native models of Swiss banks Falcon Non-public Financial institution and BSI Financial institution, imposed monetary penalties on eight banks, and issued bans in opposition to errant people and senior administration from working in Singapore’s monetary sector, together with lifetime bans for six people.
Within the interview, Mr Lee Hsien Yang additionally cited the Keppel Offshore & Marine corruption case in Brazil.
The federal government mentioned this was addressed totally in parliament in February final yr, after reaching a worldwide decision and making full fee of fines to Brazilian authorities. Two former workers of Sembcorp Marine have additionally been charged in Singapore courts.
Seatrium, the merged entity of Keppel Offshore & Marine and Sembcorp Marine, is at the moment in discussions with the Public Prosecutor on a deferred prosecution settlement on the alleged corruption offences.
The federal government assertion additionally talked about the Wirecard fraud scandal and world commodity dealer Trafigura.
“The Wirecard fraud scandal and lapses befell in Germany, the place the instances are actually being handled. Former executives of Wirecard are on trial in Munich,” mentioned the federal government.
Singapore has additionally imposed monetary penalties on 4 monetary establishments discovered to have insufficient anti-money laundering controls within the fraud scandal. Former Singapore-based workers of Wirecard have additionally been sentenced to jail for prison breach of belief.
“Trafigura could also be headquartered in Singapore, nevertheless it has a number of regional hubs in varied jurisdictions. Ought to it conduct illicit actions in Singapore, we will definitely take motion in opposition to it. As seen within the cash laundering case, we now have strong controls to detect, deter and prosecute monetary crimes.”
The federal government mentioned that Singapore has all the time acted “firmly and decisively” in opposition to those that break the nation’s legal guidelines.
“Lately, a former minister was sentenced to a yr in jail for accepting items. If he had been a minister elsewhere he wouldn’t have been charged for accepting such items, not to mention sentenced to a yr in jail,” it mentioned, referring to former transport minister S Iswaran.
“Simply as Mr Lee Kuan Yew acted when he was prime minister, neither Mr Lee Hsien Loong nor his successor Mr Lawrence Wong prevented their former colleague from being investigated, prosecuted and convicted.”
The federal government mentioned that Singapore takes a agency stance in opposition to corruption and different critical monetary crimes.
“This was the case when Mr Lee Kuan Yew was in Cupboard. And it has remained so even after his passing in 2015, as evidenced by world rankings.”
Singapore was ranked seventh within the 2015 Transparency Worldwide Corruption Perceptions Index when Mr Lee Kuan Yew was alive, and third within the 2015 World Justice Venture’s index for the absence of corruption in its authorized and legislation enforcement programs.
As of 2023, eight years after Mr Lee’s passing, Singapore was ranked fifth and third on these indices respectively, mentioned the federal government.
“Singapore was additionally ranked because the least corrupt nation within the 2024 Political and Financial Threat Consultancy Report on Perceptions of Corruption in Asia, the US and Australia, a place Singapore has held since 1995.
“Our system is in step with the worldwide requirements set by the Monetary Motion Job Power. In 2024, we ranked fourth within the International Monetary Centres Index 2024, after New York, London, and Hong Kong.”
