Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter-in-law vows to fight tribunal ruling on will

A disciplinary tribunal found Lee Suet Fern guilty of grossly improper professional conduct in handling Lee Kuan Yew’s last will. The case will now be referred to the country’s highest disciplinary body for lawyers and she could face a fine, suspension or be disbarred

The daughter-in-law of Singapore’s founding father has vowed to fight a ruling by a disciplinary tribunal that found her guilty of grossly improper professional conduct in handling the late leader’s last will.

“I disagree with the disciplinary tribunal’s report and will fight this strongly when it is heard in open court,” said Lee Suet Fern, the wife of Lee Kuan Yew’s second son Lee Hsien Yang and former head of one of Singapore’s biggest law firms, Stamford Law.
In a statement made to This Week In Asia via WhatsApp on Sunday, she also urged the public to obtain records of the closed-door proceeding and “come to their own independent conclusions”.

She made the comments after several media outlets reported on the tribunal’s ruling, which is related to a long-running family feud around the late Lee’s house that has pitted his older son – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – against his younger siblings.

It also comes as a general election – that must be held before April next year – is expected to take place in Singapore this year.
Following the tribunal’s verdict, the case will now be referred to the Court of Three Judges, the highest disciplinary body to deal with lawyers’ misconduct, and Lee Suet Fern could face a fine, suspension or be disbarred, The Straits Times reported.

The two-man tribunal, appointed by Singapore’s Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and made up of Senior Counsel Sarjit Singh Gill and lawyer Leon Yee Kee Shian, last week published a 206-page report detailing the role Lee Suet Fern played in the episode.

It asserted that the charges against her were proven beyond reasonable doubt and there was cause for disciplinary action, Reuters reported.

According to The Straits Times, the tribunal said she had “managed every aspect of the process” in drafting the will, and got her colleagues to witness its signing.

If so, Lee Suet Fern, who was acting as Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer, would have breached the Legal Profession Act and the relevant conduct rules, as she did not advise her father-in-law to consult another lawyer for advice to avoid any conflict of interests, given that her husband, Lee Hsien Yang, was a beneficiary of the will.

“This is not a case of sheer incompetence, inadvertent negligence, or even reckless indifference. [Lee Suet Fern] as [Lee Kuan Yew’s] lawyer, deliberately failed to discharge the duties that she was supposed to perform. Her breaches are egregious,” said the tribunal in its report.

“The respondent’s conduct clearly lacked the integrity, probity and trustworthiness required of an advocate and solicitor. What she did was dishonourable, both to herself, as a person, and to the legal profession.”

But Lee Suet Fern maintained that her father-in-law was never her client, and that she was instructed by him in relation to the will, stressing that it was a family matter.

She said at the tribunal hearing that her husband had called her and “scolded [her] for taking so long to deal with” the will signing.

Email records later showed that she had sent her father-in-law a draft of the will at 7.08pm, and he signed it 16 hours later at 11.10am the next day.

One of the central issues in the case is the fact that Lee Kuan Yew’s usual lawyer Kwa Kim Li, who had drafted earlier versions of his wills, was not involved in the process.

The main difference between the penultimate will drafted by Kwa and the final one was how the former did not include a demolition cause for the late prime minister’s bungalow, more widely known as 38 Oxley Road.

Lee Kuan Yew had also bequeathed a larger share of his estate to his daughter, Lee Wei Ling, in the earlier version.

Former Attorney General Walter Woon, who represents Lee Suet Fern alongside Senior Counsel Kenneth Tan and lawyer Abraham Vergis among others, said in his submissions that the argument that Lee Suet Fern and Lee Hsien Yang had deliberately cut Kwa out of the conversation to execute his last will was “totally implausible”.

Woon pointed out that the couple had sent a copy of the draft will to Kwa, and told her after the will was signed.

“If there were any irregularities, they would have been exposed practically immediately,” Woon said.

The tribunal also described Lee Suet Fern as a “deceitful witness, who tailored her evidence to portray herself as an innocent victim who had been maligned”.

It added that the conduct of her husband, who testified as a witness, was “equally deceitful”.

Lee Hsien Yang on Sunday morning shared a Facebook post by his sister, Lee Wei Ling, which called the tribunal’s report a “travesty”.

“This all is yet another attempt to rewrite history following on from the secret ministerial committee looking into Lee Kuan Yew’s will and wishes for 38 Oxley Road. My father knew full well what he was doing. He was clear in his decision for the will,” wrote Lee Wei Ling.

“I continue to be ashamed at Hsien Loong’s disrespect for his father’s dying wish.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×