The verdict in a 3-year-long case involving Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s grandson is out. Mr Li Shengwu has been found guilty of contempt of court charges & fined $15,000.
This ruling was announced on Wednesday (29 Jul) in court, and he’ll have to serve a 1-week jail term if the fine remains unpaid, reports Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Mr Li did not turn up for the verdict of the hearing, although he was “notified”. Here’s what led up to this ruling & what it could mean for the Lee family in the future.
The original case had been drawn against Mr Li’s sharing of a Facebook post on his personal page in 2017 — which was private to his circle of friends.
The post was by the New York Times entitled, Censored In Singapore and captioned,
Keep in mind, of course, that the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system.
However, the Attorney-General had found the act to be in “contempt” of the court & pressed for a $15,000 fine over the charges.
Previously, the Attorney-General’s office had also sent hundreds of pages of court documents to Mr Li — all of which Mr Li previously opined were a “waste of legal documents” & an odd choice of “priorities“.
Mr Li happens to be the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s grandson, and Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s – aka PSP’s member – son.
He’s also currently working at Harvard University in the US as an Assistant Professor teaching Economics.
As for whether he has plans to return to Singapore, Mr Li has previously stated that it’s unlikely in the near future.
However, CNA reports that a warrant of arrest may be delivered if Mr Li returns to Singapore — that’s also if the fine remains unpaid.
For now, a 3-year-long case has come to a close – albeit one with questions remaining – especially since Mr Li had distanced himself from court proceedings since they began.
What do you think of the verdict for this case? Share your thoughts below.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps & Al Jazeera on YouTube.
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