Teo Chee Hean To Review Ridout Property Rental By Cabinet Ministers ‘Expeditiously’
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean will chair a review looking into the rental of state property along Ridout Road by Ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan.
This came after the two Cabinet Ministers asked for a review that’s independent of the ministries and agencies they oversee.
Teo Chee Hean to make findings of Ridout Road review public by next Parliamentary session
On Tuesday (23 May), Prime Minster (PM) Lee Hsien Loong issued a statement saying that he had asked Mr Teo to conduct a review of the matter.
The review will examine whether the proper processes have been adhered to and if there were any wrongdoings.
Mr Teo had also been asked to conduct the review “expeditiously” and make the findings public for the next Parliamentary session in July.
“This must be done to ensure that this government maintains the highest standards of integrity.”
In addition to the review, PM Lee said he had also asked for reports from the relevant agencies to straighten out the facts.
Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had reportedly requested a review “independent of the ministries and agencies they supervise”.
PM Lee also acknowledged questions filed by MPs and said they would be answered during the next Parliamentary session.
SLA previously confirmed minsters’ rentals complied with SOP
The matter was first raised when Reform Party secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam published several articles earlier this month, urging SLA to shed some light on the auction process for properties rented by Mr Shanmugam and Mr Vivian.
He also asked if the ministers had paid “less than the fair market value“.
On 12 May, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) put up a statement clarifying that Mr Shanmumgan and Mr Vivian, who rented No 26 Ridout Road and No 31 Ridout Road respectively, had bid above the “guide rent” for state properties.
SLA also confirmed that the rentals were “performed in full compliance with the relevant procedures.”
On 18 May, the Workers’ Party shared on Facebook that Leader of the Opposition Mr Pritam Singh had filed questions on the two state properties while urging SLA to “release all relevant and material facts” in advance.
Meanwhile, PAP MPs Murali Pillai, Sitoh Yih Pin, and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim also shared on their respective social media pages that they have filed questions regarding the rental of the two bungalows along Ridout Road.
Mr Jeyaretnam has since responded to PM Lee’s statement on Tuesday (23 May), saying that it’s “not good enough”, highlighting that a “PAP Minister” is leading the review.
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