The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean have completed their investigations into ministers K Shanmugam and
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean have completed their investigations into ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan’s rental of black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road. They submitted their findings to Prime Minister Lee, who accepted the reports and ordered their publication in Parliament as a Miscellaneous Paper.
If you don’t want to sift through the 44-page document, here’s a quick summary.
Q: How does SLA rent out B&W houses?
Infographic by Jessin Goh/Mothership
Q: Were there conflicts of interest, and did the ministers abuse their power?
According to CPIB and Teo, the answer is no. For details, read below.
Q: How much are the ministers paying for rent?
Shanmugam pays S$26,500 per month for 26 Ridout Road, a property that spans 23,164 sqm after land size adjustments.
Balakrishnan paid S$19,000 per month from October 2019 to October 2022 for 31 Ridout Road, and currently pays S$20,000 for the 9,157.36 sqm property.
The investigations found Shanmugam’s rent aligned with the guide rent, while Balakrishnan paid S$200 above the S$18,800 guide rent.
Q: How much does it cost to stay in a black-and-white house?
In short, quite a bit.
For 26 Ridout Road, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) spent S$515,400 on essential repairs and an additional S$172,000 for clearing vegetation and other improvements.
For 31 Ridout Road, the SLA allocated S$570,500 for repairs, and Balakrishnan spent over S$200,000 on upgrades.
Q: How big is the swimming pool at 26 Ridout Road?
Details were not provided, but it was noted that no approval was needed from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for its installation as it was classified as a “minor work.”
Q: Were any trees cut illegally?
Teo stated that the vegetation clearing was done with National Parks Board’s approval.
Q: How long are they staying at Ridout Road?
Shanmugam’s tenancy agreement is 3+3+3 years, starting from June 2018.
Balakrishnan’s agreement is 3+2+2 years, starting from October 2019.
Both ministers adhered to the maximum allowable tenancy periods.
Q: Given the controversy, will the ministers continue renting the Ridout Road properties?
It remains uncertain, but further details are expected during next week’s parliamentary sitting.
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