Lee Hsien Yang Says He Was In UK When He Posted About Ridout Road Saga
On 23 July, Mr Lee Hsien Yang made a Facebook post about the Ridout Road saga and was subsequently issued a Correction Direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).
Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan have since threatened to sue Mr Lee over his allegations.
Shanmugam & Vivian Will Sue Lee Hsien Yang Over Ridout Road Allegations If He Fails To Apologise
However, the younger son of founding father Lee Kuan Yew has said that the ministers should sue him in the United Kingdom (UK) as he made the post there.
In the process, he revealed his whereabouts for the first time since leaving Singapore.
Sue me in the UK if they believe their case is real: Lee Hsien Yang
In a Facebook post on Saturday (29 July) night, Mr Lee said he was in the UK on 23 July when he made a Facebook post about the Ridout Road saga.
Mr Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan have since sent lawyers’ letters to Mr Lee and accused him of defaming them.
However, Mr Lee said if the two ministers “believe that they have a real case”, they should sue him in the UK.
He says his post stated facts
Mr Lee, the younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, also said the ministers were wrong about what he said.
He claimed that his post didn’t assert that they acted corruptly or for personal gain.
Rather, it “simply stated facts” that were already published in the media, he added.
Two days after he made his post, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) issued a POFMA Correction Direction to Mr Lee after identifying three “untrue statements” in the post.
Couple’s exact whereabouts were a mystery
The exact whereabouts of Mr Lee and his wife Suet Fern have been a mystery since he left Singapore after the police asked them to attend an interview in June 2022.
They failed to show up for the interview and sent an email to say they wouldn’t take part, the police said. The couple hasn’t returned to Singapore since then.
According to Bloomberg, however, they have been living in Europe for months — but the exact country they were in wasn’t revealed.
That is, until now, since Mr Lee said he was in the UK on 23 July.
Lee Hsien Yang revealed his location for the first time
While he might have left the UK since then, this is the first time he has said anything about his location since he left Singapore.
If he’s asking the ministers to sue him in the UK, though, it might be an indication that he’s planning on staying put there.
Since he’s not in Singapore, it’s uncertain whether a possible lawsuit against him here will be admissible in the UK.
We guess we’ll have to wait and see with interest what the next steps of the parties involved will be.
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Featured image adapted from Lee Hsien Yang on Facebook and Marcin Nowak on Unsplash.