SINGAPORE – The police did not issue an order compelling Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Mrs Lee Suet Fern to attend an interview, as the couple had appeared cooperative when first approached for a probe into lying during judicial proceedings.
In fact, they had agreed to the police interview and said they would give a date for it to happen, said the police in a statement on Monday (March 20).
Explaining how interviews are initiated after the topic came up for discussion in Parliament on Monday, the police said they contact people in various ways, which could be in person, by telephone or through a letter or e-mail.
It was also noted that a written order requesting attendance before the police, under s21 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), is not generally issued in the first instance unless the person is assessed as likely to be uncooperative, or if there is some other reason.
During Monday's Parliament sitting, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam explained in reply to MPs' questions why the police had made public its probe into Mr and Mrs Lee.
He said it was in the public interest to do so as the couple had absconded after agreeing to co-operate with police investigations, among other things.
To this, Workers' Party and Aljunied GRC MP Sylvia Lim asked whether the police had issued an order under the CPC to Mr and Mrs Lee to attend the police interview.
In its statement, the police said they had met Mr and Mrs Lee on June 9, 2022, to ask them to attend an interview over potential offences of giving false evidence.
The couple were handed a letter containing information about the investigation and a request that they attend the interview, said the police. They agreed to speak to the police and said they would confirm the exact date later.
On June 13, 2022, Mr and Mrs Lee contacted the police to say they would be available for an interview the following month on July 13.
But when the date came around, the couple e-mailed to say they would not be attending the session.
The police said they left the country on June 15, and have since made it clear that they will not agree to be interviewed.
Mr and Mrs Lee are being investigated for lying during disciplinary proceedings against Mrs Lee, brought for her role in the preparation of the will of late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
A disciplinary tribunal and the Court of Three Judges had found her guilty of professional misconduct in the preparation of his will, and also found that the couple had lied during the proceedings.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
