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In response to a Facebook user claiming that he had attended an event for just five minutes to avoid being questioned about Ridout Road, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam took to Facebook to refute her accusations.
On Jul. 1, 2023, Facebook user Serene Ho alleged that the minister had attended an event and left after five minutes.
She also claimed that Shanmugam had purposely left quickly as he did not want people to ask him about the Ridout Road rental saga.
"I notice active efforts to spread falsehoods": Shanmugam
In his own Facebook post, Shanmugam said that he had noticed "active efforts to spread falsehoods".
Using Ho's post as an example, he rebutted her claims by saying that he had attended four events in Chong Pang, starting with Goodlink Park, which was where the photos in Ho's post were taken.
He stated that he had spent about 25 minutes at that event, during which he had engaged with the residents and took photos with them.
"Went around the tables, residents here always friendly. Very warm reception," Shanmugam quipped.
He added that he had explained to the residents that he had to go to the next event, and that he then attended three more events that evening.
He concluded that while Ho may appear to be an opposition supporter, judging by her Facebook posts, "that doesn’t however require her to put out untruths."
About Ridout Road
The rentals of black-and-white bungalows on Ridout Road by two ministers, Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan have come under scrutiny.
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean conducted a review of the matter, and found there was no abuse of power or conflict of interest in the rental dealings of both ministers.
An investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau also found no evidence of corruption or criminal wrongdoing by the ministers.
In addition, CPIB found no preferential treatment given to the ministers and their spouses, and no disclosure of privileged information in the process of the rental transactions.
The issue will be further discussed in the July sitting of Parliament.
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