SINGAPORE, Oct 11 — Lee Hsien Yang, the younger son of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, and his wife, Lee Suet Fern, face no legal restrictions preventing their return to Singapore, according to a police statement today.
“They are and have always been free to return to Singapore,” the statement said, clarifying that while the couple was asked to assist in investigations in June 2022, they failed to attend the scheduled interview, leaving the country on June 15, 2022, and have not returned since, The Straits Times reported.
The issue of Hsien Yang's return came into focus after the death of his older sister, Lee Wei Ling, on October 9.
He had stated he will not be attending the wake and funeral, leaving those arrangements in the hands of his son, Li Huanwu.
Lee Wei Ling passed away at the age of 69 after battling progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder.
According to the report Hsien Yang has previously indicated, via a Facebook post in 2023, that he may never return to Singapore due to the ongoing police investigation, which stems from a legal dispute involving Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his younger siblings over the handling of their late father’s estate, specifically his residence at 38 Oxley Road.
The conflict centred on the demolition clause in Lee Kuan Yew’s will, which had been omitted in an earlier version but reinstated in the final one.
This clause created tension among his children, ultimately leading to legal proceedings.
In 2020, the Court of Three Judges and a disciplinary tribunal concluded that both Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Suet Fern had lied under oath during disciplinary proceedings related to her handling of the late Lee Kuan Yew’s last will.
The police became involved in the case following these findings.
