In recent developments, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan have taken a decisive step against Lee Hsien Yang, accusing him of defamation. The dispute revolves around false allegations made by Mr. Lee concerning Ridout Road, which Lee has since been issued with a POFMA order.

The Allegations

On Thursday, 27th July, Lee Hsien Yang received a POFMA (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act) order for his Facebook post, which contained certain claims about Ridout Road. The ministers, Shanmugam and Balakrishnan, assert that the statements made by Mr. Lee are false and defamatory.

Mr. Lee accused the ministers of acting corruptly for personal gain by allegedly receiving preferential treatment from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). According to him, the SLA allowed the ministers to fell trees illegally without proper approval and that the SLA paid for renovations the 26 and 31 Ridout Road properties rented by the ministers.

POFMA direction

Issuance of Correction Direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act to Lee Hsien Yang

On 23 July 2023, Mr Lee Hsien Yang published a post on his Facebook page, which made untrue statements that:

a) The State paid for the renovations to 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road because the properties were leased by Ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan.

b) Trees at 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were allowed to be felled because the properties were leased by Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan.

c) SPH Media Trust fraudulently inflated its circulation numbers.

The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong has instructed for a Correction Direction, under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), to be issued to Mr Lee Hsien Yang. Mr Lee Hsien Yang will be required to carry the correction notice, stating that the Facebook post contains false statements of fact.

Clarifications on the False Statements

Firstly, Mr Lee Hsien Yang made an untrue statement that the State paid for the renovations to 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road because the properties were leased by Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan. The identity of the tenants had no bearing on the decision on the works to be carried out on the properties. The post
omits important information that the works done were in keeping with the Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) practice, and were assessed to be necessary in the circumstances, as explained by Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong in Parliament on 3 July 2023.

a) SLA invests a significant amount in maintaining conserved properties, which include 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road. SLA has spent similar, or even larger, amounts on other Black and White bungalows, consistent with conservation requirements (see Factually article in paragraph 6).

b) Most of the costs incurred for 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were for works that external consultants had determined to be necessary, in light of the condition of the properties and to comply with the relevant conservation requirements. The remaining costs were incurred as part of the usual works done before the
commencement of a tenancy to ensure that the property is habitable.

Secondly, Mr Lee Hsien Yang made the statement that the trees at 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were allowed to be felled because the properties were leased by Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan. This is untrue. The identity of the tenants had no bearing on the felling of the trees at the properties. All decisions to fell trees with a girth size of more than one metre were made following inspections by independent arborists, and safety issues were identified. Where approval was required for any trees to be felled, such approval was obtained from the National Parks Board (NParks). The reasons for the felling of the trees at both properties have been explained by the Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong in Parliament on 3 July 2023.

Thirdly, Mr Lee Hsien Yang also made the statement that SPH Media Trust fraudulently inflated its circulation numbers. This is untrue. The overstatement of circulation numbers happened when the media business was under SPH Limited – a listed company. This was before SPH Media Trust was incorporated. When SPH Media Trust took over SPH Limited’s media business, it discovered, reported, and investigated the circulation issue. The Government’s funding agreement to build up public service media capabilities was signed with SPH Media Trust, and not SPH Limited. The funding quantum was based on SPH Media Trust’s transformation needs, and not the circulation numbers.

Publication of Correction Notice

As required by the Correction Direction, Mr Lee Hsien Yang must publish correction notice on the said post on his Facebook page. The correction notice will provide a link to the Factually article, which lays out the facts and clarifications on the matter, at the following link: https://www.gov.sg/article/factually250723.

MINISTRY OF LAW
25 JULY 2023

Ministers Respond with Legal Action

In response to these serious accusations, K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan decided to take legal action against Lee Hsien Yang. On 27th July, they sent lawyers’ letters to Mr. Lee, demanding an apology, withdrawal of the allegations, and payment of damages, which will be donated to charity. The ministers have asserted that the allegations are entirely false and damaging to their reputation and integrity.

Joint statement by K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan

[Defamatory statements by Lee Hsien Yang]

Minister Shanmugam/Vivian and I have sent lawyers’ letters to Lee Hsien Yang for defaming us.

Lee Hsien Yang has accused us of acting corruptly and for personal gain by having Singapore Land Authority give us preferential treatment by illegally felling trees without approval, and also having the SLA pay for renovations to 26 and 31 Ridout Road. These allegations are false.

We have asked him to apologise, withdraw his allegations and pay damages, which we will donate to charity.

If he does not do so, we will sue him.

Lee Hsien Yang’s original post

CORRECTION NOTICE:

This Facebook post contains false statements of fact relating to the 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road matter, and to SPH Media Trust. For the correct facts, click here: https://www.gov.sg/article/factually250723

Trust in the PAP has been shattered.

PM Lee has recently said that “high standards of propriety and personal conduct, together with staying clean and incorrupt, are the fundamental reasons Singaporeans trust and respect the PAP.”

Trust has to be earned. It cannot simply be inherited. PM Lee Hsien Loong’s failure of leadership has squandered that trust.

Two ministers have leased state-owned mansions from the agency that one of them controls, felling trees and getting state-sponsored renovations. Two Temasek companies have committed serious corruption offences – Keppel and the former Sembcorp Marine. SPH Media, an entity being given almost a billion dollars of taxpayers monies, has fraudulently inflated its circulation numbers. A cabinet minister has been arrested for corruption. Yet again, the speaker of Parliament has resigned, over a scandal which the PM knew about for years but did not disclose.

Wei Ling and I stated in June 2017 that “We do not trust Lee Hsien Loong as a brother or as a leader.” These latest facts speak volumes. Hsien Loong’s regime does not deserve Singaporeans’ trust.

Lee Hsien Yang’s response to his POFMA notice

A delivery driver in Singapore, Mohamed Shalleh Abdul Latiff, is set to be executed on 3 August, after being found guilty of delivering drugs and sentenced to death in 2019.

Arrested for Drug Trafficking

The chain of events leading to Mohamed Shalleh’s arrest began in 2016 when he was apprehended by the authorities. On that day, a Malaysian man named Khairul Nizam Ramthan handed him three irregular bundles wrapped in brown paper in exchange for S$7,000, according to The Straits Times

Mohamed Shalleh, without inspecting the contents, believed he was delivering contraband cigarettes for his friend ‘Bai’ to repay his debt.

The bundles Shalleh transported turned out to contain approximately 54g of diamorphine, commonly known as heroin.

Throughout the trial, Mohamed Shalleh maintained that he had a strong trust in his friend ‘Bai’ and didn’t feel the need to verify the bundle’s contents.

However, the court cast doubt on this claim, as he did not know basic details about ‘Bai,’ including his real name. This lack of familiarity raised suspicions about the level of trust Mohamed Shalleh had placed in ‘Bai.’

In an attempt to defend himself, Mohamed Shalleh alleged that he had left the bundles inside a plastic bag and did not see them.

However, CNB’s senior staff sergeant, Tay Keng Chye, testified that he found the bundles beside the plastic bag, exposed on the car’s floorboard. This contradiction in testimony added complexity to the case.

High Court Judge Hoo Sheau Peng, after carefully evaluating the evidence and the testimonies, concluded that Mohamed Shalleh failed to justify his high level of trust in ‘Bai.’

The court found it unlikely that a delivery driver would proceed with a deal involving drugs without visually verifying the bundle’s contents.

Shalleh’s upcoming execution marks another execution of a death row inmate in Singapore, following the execution of a 45-year-old Singaporean woman yesterday and a 57-year-old Singaporean man on 6 July for drug trafficking.

A 57-year-old Singaporean man, Mohd Aziz bin Hussain, was executed on 26 July for having “not less than 49.98 grams” of pure heroin.

The Central Narcotic Bureau (CNB) said in a statement that he was given full due process under the law and was represented by legal counsel throughout his trial, where he was convicted and sentenced on 14 December 2017, before he appealed unsuccessfully on 15 November 2018.

His petition to the President for clemency was also unsuccessful.

CNB’s press release

Statement in Response to Media Queries
26 Jul 2023

1. The capital sentence of death imposed on Mohd Aziz bin Hussain (“Aziz”) was carried out on 26 July 2023.
2. Aziz, a 57-year-old Singaporean, was convicted of having in his possession for the purpose of trafficking, not less than 49.98 grammes of diamorphine, or pure heroin (total gross weight of not less than 1399.7 grammes).
3. The Misuse of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine trafficked is more than 15 grammes. 49.98 grammes of diamorphine is more than three times that amount, and is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 600 abusers for a week.
4. Aziz was accorded full due process under the law, and was represented by legal counsel throughout the process:

a. Aziz was convicted and sentenced to capital punishment on 14 December 2017.

b. He appealed against his conviction and sentence. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal on 15 November 2018.

5. Aziz’s petition to the President for clemency was unsuccessful.
6. Capital punishment is used only for the most serious crimes, such as the trafficking of significant quantities of drugs which cause very serious harm, not just to individual drug abusers, but also to their families and the wider society. Capital punishment is part of Singapore’s comprehensive harm prevention strategy which targets both drug demand and supply.

Central Narcotics Bureau
26 July 2023

A 45-year-old Singaporean woman, Saridewi Binte Djamani, was executed via hanging on 28 July for her offence of possessing 30.72 grams of heroin for drug trafficking.

The Central Narcotic Bureau (CNB) said in a statement that she was given full due process under the law and was represented by legal counsel throughout her trial, where she was convicted and sentenced on 6 July 2018, before she appealed unsuccessfully on 6 October 2022.

Her petition to the President for clemency was also unsuccessful.

Her execution makes her the first woman to be executed since 2004, when 36-year-old Yen May Woen was hanged on 19 March 2004 for having 30.16 grams of heroin for trafficking.

CNB’s statement

Statement in Response to Media Queries

28 Jul 2023

1. The capital sentence of death imposed on Saridewi Binte Djamani (“Saridewi”) was carried out on 28 July 2023.

2. Saridewi, a 45-year-old Singaporean, was convicted of having in her possession for the purpose of trafficking, not less than 30.72 grammes of diamorphine, or pure heroin (i.e. six packets and seven straws of gross weight not less than 1,084.37 grammes).

3. The Misuse of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine trafficked is more than 15 grammes. 30.72 grammes of diamorphine is more than twice that amount, and is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 370 abusers for a week.

4. Saridewi was accorded full due process under the law, and was represented by legal counsel throughout the process:

a. Saridewi was convicted and sentenced to capital punishment on 6 July 2018.

b. She appealed against her conviction and sentence, and the Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal on 6 October 2022.

5. Saridewi’s petition to the President for clemency was unsuccessful.

6. Capital punishment is used only for the most serious crimes, such as the trafficking of significant quantities of drugs which cause very serious harm, not just to individual drug abusers, but also to their families and the wider society. Capital punishment is part of Singapore’s comprehensive harm prevention strategy which targets both drug demand and supply.

Central Narcotics Bureau
28 July 2023