SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The daughter-in-law of Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew has been temporarily suspended from legal practice after she was found guilty of misconduct in preparing and executing his will.
Lee Suet Fern, 62, was given a 15-month suspension by one of the city-state’s top courts for her involvement in the will of which her husband, Lee Hsien Yang, and current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong are beneficiaries.
The will has been central to a long-running public feud between the siblings due to disagreements over what to do with their late father’s house: demolish it, or let the government decide whether to make it a heritage landmark.
In its ruling the court noted the final will in which Lee Suet Fern was involved was “materially similiar” to a previous version and said she “did not act dishonestly” in her dealings with Lee Kuan Yew.
However, in reaching its judgement the court said there was a clear “potential conflict of interest” given the “divided loyalties” to her father-in-law and husband.
Lee Suet Fern said in a statement she disagreed with the decision and said neither her father-in-law nor any of his beneficiaries had made a complaint against her.
(Reporting by John Geddie; Editing by Michael Perry)
