In Singapore, the ongoing controversy surrounding the rentals for 26 and 31 Ridout Road, which has been making headlines since May, is set to be addre
In Singapore, the ongoing controversy surrounding the rentals for 26 and 31 Ridout Road, which has been making headlines since May, is set to be addressed in Parliament on Monday (July 3). Four ministers, including Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, are scheduled to deliver statements on the matter.
Opposition MPs, led by Workers’ Party chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, have submitted several Parliamentary Questions regarding the leases. Singh’s inquiries include:
How will the Government assure the public that the Minister for Law and the Minister for Foreign Affairs did not receive any privileged information related to the leases of 26 and 31 Ridout Road, respectively?
Are there any established rules, conventions, or policies in place to prevent Cabinet Ministers from exploiting privileged information obtained during their official or unofficial duties concerning the leasing of Government properties?
What were the Government’s reasons for not holding a press conference in May 2023 to address public allegations regarding the leases of the aforementioned properties?
What was the Guide Rent set by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) for the leases of 26 and 31 Ridout Road when they were leased to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Law, respectively?
Additionally, Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam raised questions about future plans to redevelop land where black-and-white colonial bungalows are located for public housing, industry, or commerce, and whether the bidding process for these SLA-managed bungalows is subject to annual audits by the Auditor-General’s Office.
In total, 23 questions are expected to be addressed during the four ministerial statements. Besides Mr. Shanmugam and Dr. Balakrishnan, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong will discuss the review of rentals for these properties and the leasing of state properties.
Last week, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) concluded that there was no corruption or criminal wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Shanmugam and Dr. Balakrishnan.
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