Lee Hsien Yang denies his wife was late Lee Kuan Yew's lawyer, challenges AGC to release full exchange

Why now, he asks AGC?

Belmont Lay | January 07, 2019, 10:44 PM

On the day the Attorney-General’s Chambers flagged a possible case of misconduct involving lawyer Lee Suet Fern, her husband Lee Hsien Yang responded on Facebook with a challenge.

Why now, AGC?

Lee Hsien Yang, brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has written a post on Facebook on Jan. 7, denying that his wife was ever the late Lee Kuan Yew's lawyer.

He also said that no one had "complained from the outset on the process and circumstances of our father’s signing his final will" and that "the will was proven in court in 2015 with no issues raised".

Lee Hsien Yang then questioned: Why is AGC rushing this case in 2019 when the facts were known by all parties for years?

He also challenged the AGC to release the correspondence between it and his wife.

This was after the AGC said Lee Suet Fern did not reply to questions to explain her role in the signing of the late Lee Kuan Yew's will.

As a result, AGC said it is referring this case of "possible professional misconduct" by Lee Suet Fern to the Law Society.

This is Lee Hsien Yang's post:

Recap of what happened:

Lee Kuan Yew's last will was dated Dec. 17, 2013.

There are seven versions of Lee Kuan Yew’s will.

All the wills, except for the last will, were prepared by lawyer Kwa Kim Li from law firm Lee and Lee, Advocates and Solicitors.

The last will was prepared by Lee Hsien Yang’s wife Lee Suet Fern’s (LSF) law firm Stamford Law Corporation (now Morgan Lewis Stamford LLC).

Will versions one to four contained the demolition clause.

Will versions five and six had no demolition clause.

In the seventh and final will, the demolition clause was inserted back in again.

Previously, PM Lee Hsien Loong questioned the providence of the demolition clause being inserted back into the will again.

This query was previously on PM Lee's list of nine serious questions that was issued in lawyer’s rebuttal.

Question number seven read:

(7) Did Mr Lee give specific instructions to re-insert the Demolition Clause in the Last Will, and if so, to whom?

Question handling of last will

PM Lee had questioned the handling of the final will, specifically, who was in charge of having Lee Kuan Yew sign it.

The first six wills had been all prepared by Kwa Kim Li.

According to the PM Lee’s account of the events, Kwa Kim Li could not be contacted for the final will.

The sixth version of the will would see Lee Wei Ling getting an increased share of the Oxley Road house.

The final supposedly came into existence after this following email was sent to Lee Kuan Yew on Dec. 16, 2013, from Lee Hsien Yang’s wife, Lee Suet Fern.

“Dear Pa Pa

This was the original agreed Will which ensures that all 3 children receive equal shares, taking into account the relative valuations (as at the date of demise) of the properties each receives.

Kim Li

Grateful if you could please engross.”

Signing of last will supposedly done in a haste

This would influence Lee Kuan Yew into reverting the percentages of the will to equal proportions among his three children.

Some 23 minutes after this email was sent, Lee Hsien Yang replied to his wife’s email, apparently removing Kwa Kim Li, managing partner of Lee and Lee law firm, as an addressee.

Here’s the email.

“Pa

I couldn’t get in touch with Kim Li. I believe she is away. I don’t think it is wise to wait till she is back. I think all you need is a witness to sign the will. Fern can get one of her partners to come round with an engrossed copy of the will to execute and witness. They can coordinate it with Lin Hoe for a convenient time.”

PM Lee relayed in his lawyer’s letter that Kwa Kim Li told him she had not received any emails from Lee Suet Fern.

Lee Kuan Yew agreed to sign the newly drafted will under the supervision of two of Lee Suet Fern’s colleagues, Bernard Lui and Elizabeth Kong.

According to PM Lee, neither he nor Lee Wei Ling was copied into this email correspondence with Lee Kuan Yew during these two days.

What PM Lee said previously in statutory declaration

PM Lee said in his statutory declaration that "there is no evidence that Mr Lee even knew that the Demolition Clause had been re-inserted into the Last Will".

This prompted Lee Hsien Yang to question the premise of this statement with a photo supposedly showing Lee Kuan Yew's acknowledgement of this clause:

Lee Hsien Yang asked: "How could Lee Kuan Yew not know when he initialled right beneath the Demolition Clause, and LHL has the will?"

What is the dispute between the Lee siblings?

There are two parts in a clause to demolish the 38, Oxley Road house in the late Lee Kuan Yew's last will.

This issue is at the heart of the dispute between the Lee siblings.

Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling have focused on the first part, but the second part shows that the late prime minister had considered the possibility that the house might be preserved.