S’pore house left to wife & 12 kids sold for S$8.25 million, 1 sibling sued for allegedly pocketing another’s share

A man sued his elder brother for allegedly taking his share of sale proceeds after their late father's bungalow was sold.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the father had 12 children before he passed away on Feb. 10, 1986.

He left his house, located on Barbary Walk in the Queenstown area, to his wife and 12 children.

In 2013, three of his children received approval from the High Court to sell the house, and it was ultimately sold in February 2025 for S$8.25 million.

After dividing the sale proceeds among the 13 beneficiaries, each person’s share was about S$634,615.

Transfer of ownership

One of the man's sons, Cai Shuicai (transliterated), frequently went overseas at the time, and did not know the house had been sold.

He was thus surprised when he learnt about it from his sister subsequently, as he did not receive any money.

The sister showed him a document that indicated Cai Shuicai had agreed to transfer his share of ownership of their father's house to his elder brother, Cai Shuiliang (transliterated), in 1993.

However, Cai Shuicai, who claimed to be illiterate, said he never agreed to such an ownership transfer.

Instead, he said Cai Shuiliang had told him he needed to sign the document in order to get his one-thirteenth share of the house.

Cai Shuicai eventually brought a lawsuit against his brother, asking him to revoke that ownership transfer agreement, and return his share to him.

In May 2024, he sent his brother a letter of demand and a settlement proposal through his lawyer.

Elder brother's response

Cai Shuiliang has denied his younger brother's allegations over the transfer agreement.

According to the elder brother, Cai Shuicai had come to him and said that he wanted to sell his share to him.

It was only after consulting a lawyer, who explained the agreement to them, that the two brothers signed it.

Additionally, Cai Shuiliang claimed that he had given his younger brother about S$42,307 in cash afterwards.

Regarding the ongoing lawsuit, Cai Shuiliang said he received a letter of demand from his younger brother, but not any settlement proposal.

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