In a Facebook post uploaded a day before the fine was due, Mr Li said: “Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore government an easy excuse to attack me and my family."
In a Facebook post uploaded a day before the fine was due, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore government an easy excuse to attack me and my family. “I do not admit guilt. I have never denied writing what I wrote, to my friends in a private Facebook post.”
In 2017, Mr Li put up a Facebook post under a friends-only setting and wrote that the Singapore Government was “very litigious” and has a “pliant court system”. He was commenting on the dispute between his father Lee Hsien Yang, his aunt Lee Wei Ling, and his uncle, PM Lee, over the fate of the home of his grandfather, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, at 38 Oxley Road.
related:
Li Shengwu does not admit guilt but will pay $15,000 fine for contempt of court
Mr Li Shengwu has said he will pay a $15,000 fine for contempt of court but he does not admit guilt and disagrees that he said anything illegal in a private Facebook post.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 11), a day before the fine is due, Mr Li wrote that he has decided to pay the fine "in order to buy some peace and quiet".
"Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore Government an easy excuse to attack me and my family," he added.
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Li Shengwu on contempt of court case: “I do not admit guilt”
Li Shengwu announced his decision to pay the S$15,000 fine for being found to be in contempt of court, but added that he does not admit guilt.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 11), a day before the deadline to make payment, Mr Li wrote: I have an announcement to make about my legal case in Singapore”.
“I have decided to pay the fine, in order to buy some peace and quiet. Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore government an easy excuse to attack me and my family”, Mr Li wrote.
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Shengwu Li 10 August at 19:19
I have an announcement to make about my legal case in Singapore.
The government claims that my friends-only Facebook post "scandalized the judiciary". The true scandal is the misuse of state resources to repress private speech. In the course of this three-year prosecution, the Singapore Attorney General's chambers has written thousands of pages of legal documents, suppressed parts of my defence affidavit, and demanded that I reveal to them all of my friends on Facebook.
Back in January, I decided that I would not dignify the government’s prosecution by continuing to respond. Even without my participation, it took six more months to arrive at a verdict, long enough for the government to mishandle a pandemic and hold an election.
I have decided to pay the fine, in order to buy some peace and quiet. Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore government an easy excuse to attack me and my family.
I do not admit guilt. I have never denied writing what I wrote, to my friends in a private Facebook post. I disagree that my words were illegal. Moreover, civilized countries should not fine or jail their citizens for private comments on the court system.
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AGC succeeds in applications; Li Shengwu must appear in court to be cross-examined
Mr Li Shengwu will have to make himself available for cross-examination in the contempt of court proceedings against him, said the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) on Monday (Feb 3).
Mr Li, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, will also have to answer questions under oath that the AGC has posed to him.
This latest development came after the High Court on Monday heard several applications by both sides.
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AGC hits back at Li Shengwu, says withdrawal from court case is to avoid taking questions under oath
The long-running case is over a Facebook post Mr Li Shengwu made in July 2017, in which he wrote that the Singapore Government was “very litigious” and has a “pliant court system”
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has hit back at the Prime Minister’s nephew Li Shengwu, saying his decision to withdraw from a contempt-of-court case against him was to avoid the prospect of answering questions under oath and disclose information.
In a three-page statement to the media on Thursday (Jan 23), the AGC said Mr Li had “contrived excuses for running away”, and that his decision to stop participating in the court proceedings was a clear acknowledgement that his defence had no merit.
The AGC added Mr Li should continue to take part in the proceedings if he believes his statement was not in contempt of Singapore’s judiciary.
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Singapore PM’s estranged nephew Li Shengwu will not ‘participate’ in contempt case, will unfriend cousin on Facebook
A grandson of Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew says he will no longer take part in a contempt of court case brought against him by the city state’s Attorney General’s Chambers.
Li Shengwu in a public Facebook post on Wednesday said the AGC had recently sought to strike out parts of his defence affidavit and this meant part of his court filings would not be considered at the trial. The AGC also wanted those parts to be sealed in the court record and not made public, he claimed. “This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of unusual conduct by the AGC,” he said, adding that the AGC had previously argued for a new piece of legislation to be retroactively applied to his case. This application was rejected by the court.
“In light of these events, I have decided that I will not continue to participate in the proceedings against me. I will not dignify the AGC’s conduct by my participation,” he added.
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Li Shengwu: I will no longer take part in contempt of court proceedings, have unfriended Hongyi
Li Shengwu, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said he will no longer take part in contempt of court proceedings against him
In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening (22 January), the assistant professor of economics at Harvard University blasted what he calls the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) persistently “unusual conduct” in its two-and-a-half-year-long case against him.
For example, Li said, the AGC had applied to strike out parts of his defence affidavit, with the result that they will not be considered at the trial. He added that the AGC subsequently demanded that these parts be sealed in the court record. The public does not have access to sealed court records. And, Li said, when arguing jurisdiction in the Court of Appeal, the AGC argued that a new piece of legislation should be retroactively applied against him. “The court saw it as unfair for the new legislation to apply retrospectively,” Li said.
Given the AGC’s actions, the 34-year-old concluded that he would no longer participate in the legal proceedings, adding, “I will not dignify the AGC’s conduct by my participation.”
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Li Shengwu unfriends cousin Li Hongyi, pulls out of legal proceedings with AGC
Lee Hsien Yang’s son Li Shengwu is no longer Facebook friends with his cousin, the son of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Li Hongyi. Making the announcement via a Facebook post on Jan. 22, the 35-year-old Assistant Professor of Economics at Harvard University also said that he will no longer be participating in the legal proceedings brought against him by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC)
Li is currently being prosecuted by the AGC for allegedly scandalising the judiciary with a private Facebook post. In his July 2017 post, Li expressed his opinions of the Singapore judicial system, which he asserted has an impact on international media reporting. The private post was not publicly accessible but one of his Facebook friends took a screen shot of it. This screen shot was later shared on social media by other groups.
“This prosecution has continued for years, and during that time the AGC has submitted thousands of pages of legal documents over one paragraph on social media,” wrote Li. Li also shared more recent updates to the proceedings in his post, highlighting some allegedly “unusual conduct” by the AGC. According to him, the AGC applied to strike out parts of his defence affidavit so that they will not be considered during the trial.Li claimed that AGC wants these portions sealed in the court record “so that the public cannot k now what the removed parts contain”.
Separately, Li also pointed to the example of AGC attempting to apply the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act — which only took effect in October 2017 — retroactively against him as proof of said unusual conduct. It was rejected by the court. He ended his post by saying that he will not continue to participate in the proceedings against him, in light of these events.
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“Could you please leave me out of this?” – Hongyi tells Shengwu
In response to Shengwu’s most recent revelation that he has decided to remove Hongyi from his Facebook friends list, the Prime Minister’s son wrote on Facebook: “I don’t know whats going on between you and the government, but I’ve got nothing to do with it. Could you please leave me out of this?”
Claiming that he has “really tried to not be involved as far as possible,” Hongyi said: “If there’s something I’ve done that’s led you to believe otherwise, I would be happy to talk with you about it. It’s a bit disconcerting to be repeatedly publicly accused of undermining democracy without understanding why.”
He added: “I would prefer not to have done this over public facebook posts. But I suppose thats (sic) how we communicate nowadays.”
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Rift between Lee cousins widens: Shengwu removes Hongyi from his Facebook friends list
The relationship between Singapore founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s grandsons Li Shengwu and Li Hongyi appears to be as fractured as ever
Shengwu revealed on Facebook this evening (22 Jan) that he has removed Hongyi from his Facebook friends list.
Hongyi, 32, is the son of Lee Kuan Yew’s eldest son, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, while Shengwu, 34, is the eldest son of Lee Hsien Yang — Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son.
Shengwu and Hongyi were once described as “very close”. The cousins, who drew attention when they delivered eulogies at their grandfather’s funeral in 2015, were both in the west coast of the United States at one point as Shengwu was pursuing his PhD at Stanford University and Hongyi was working at Google in Silicon Valley.
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Li Shengwu hires top UK lawyer David Pannick to fight contempt of court case in Singapore
Li Shengwu, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said that he has filed his defence affidavit and his legal team has taken advice from Mr Pannick in the past two years.PHOTO: ST FILE
The nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Mr Li Shengwu, has hired a top British lawyer to advise him in his contempt of court case.
Queen's Counsel David Pannick is one of the lawyers who won a landmark case this week against British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament before the deadline to exit the European Union.
Mr Li, an assistant professor of economics at Harvard University, said on Facebook on Wednesday (Sept 25): "I'm grateful for Lord Pannick's guidance and help, even as he has been in the midst of winning a landmark constitutional case in the UK."
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Top UK lawyer who defeated Boris Johnson’s government advises Singapore PM’s estranged nephew Li Shengwu
Li Shengwu, a nephew of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has revealed he is taking advice from a Queen’s Counsel who helped defeat the British government’s recent attempt to suspend parliament.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Li Shengwu – who is facing contempt of court charges linked to a bitter family feud – said his legal team had been taking advice from David Pannick for the past two years.
Legal heavyweight Pannick and fellow Queen’s Counsel Tom Hickman, both of London’s Blackstone Chambers, were the barristers for the activist and businesswoman Gina Miller – one of the parties who brought legal action against British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament.
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Li Shengwu has 'taken advice' from top UK lawyer David Pannick for contempt of court case
Li Shengwu and lawyer David Pannick. (Photos: Reuters/Tim Mc Laughlin, AFP/Tolga Akmen)
Mr Li Shengwu, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said on Wednesday (Sep 25) that British lawyer David Pannick has been advising his legal team for a contempt of court case.
The 34-year-old is being sued by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) for allegedly saying in a private Facebook post in 2017 that Singapore has a "pliant court system", and that the Singapore Government was "very litigious".
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Harvard University assistant professor said that for the past two years, his legal team has been taking advice from Mr Pannick, who he describes as "a leading expert".
related: AGC takes action against Li Shengwu for contempt of court over FB post
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Singapore PM's nephew enlists top UK lawyer for contempt case
"Over the past two years, my legal team has taken advice from David Pannick, a leading expert," the nephew, Li Shengwu, said in a Facebook post. PHOTO: ST FILE
The Singapore prime minister's nephew said on Wednesday he had hired top British lawyer David Pannick to advise him on a contempt of court case at the heart of a feud among members of the city-state's first family.
Mr Pannick, who counts Queen Elizabeth II and Saudi Arabia among his clients, is one of the lawyers who this week won a landmark case to overturn the British government's suspension of parliament in the weeks before the deadline to exit the EU.
"Over the past two years, my legal team has taken advice from David Pannick, a leading expert," the nephew, Li Shengwu, said in a Facebook post.
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Li Shengwu enlists top British lawyer to fight contempt of court case
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s nephew, Mr Li Shengwu, has hired top British lawyer David Pannick to advise him in his contempt of court case.
Mr Pannick is one of the lawyers who, this week, won a landmark case to overturn the British government’s suspension of parliament in the weeks before the deadline to exit the European Union.
Mr Li, 34, wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Sept 25) that he has just filed his defence affidavit, adding that his legal team has taken advice from Mr Pannick over the past two years.
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Grandson of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew says online trolls fuelled controversy over judiciary comments
Li Shengwu, the grandson of Singapore’s late independence leader Lee Kuan Yew, has said in a court affidavit that online trolls had sought to cause trouble for his family – already mired in a bitter public dispute – when they circulated comments about the judiciary he had made in a “friends only” Facebook post.
“I believe that the person(s) responsible for this were clearly acting maliciously, intending to cause mischief and trouble for me and family,” the Harvard University assistant economics professor said in the statement.
Li, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is currently facing contempt charges in the Lion City for the July 2017 comments, and filed his defence affidavit last week.
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AGC's actions against me were 'gratuitous' and 'extraordinary': Li Shengwu
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) actions in response to a private Facebook post made by Li Shengwu were both “gratuitous” and “extraordinary”, said Li as his lawyers filed his defence affidavit against charges of contempt of court.
In papers filed last Tuesday (24 September), the nephew of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong again emphasised that his comments in his post of 15 July 2017 were not meant for public consumption. Instead, a screenshot of the post taken by an “unknown person” had been sent to a public Facebook page.
“The AGC then chose to pre-emptively and gratuitously issue an unsolicited statement to over 60 journalists that the AGC was looking into my Private Post. The AGC’s act of issuing a public statement on the matter triggered widespread news coverage about my Private Post, which they are now trying to hold me liable for,” said Li, who is the eldest son of Lee Hsien Loong’s brother Hsien Yang.
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Li Shengwu: “The Singapore government is still prosecuting me after all this time”
Li Shengwu has confirmed that the Singapore Government is “still prosecuting” him “after all this time,” as he revealed that he filed his defence affidavit today (25 Sept)
Shengwu, who is the grandson of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and nephew of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, wrote on social media: “Friends often ask me if the Singapore government is still prosecuting me after all this time. The answer is yes. I just filed my defence affidavit.
“Over the past two years, my legal team has taken advice from David Pannick, a leading expert. I’m grateful for Lord Pannick’s guidance and help, even as he has been in the midst of winning a landmark constitutional case in the UK.”
His post was shared by his father, Lee Hsien Yang, and aunt, Lee Wei Ling. Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling – the late Lee Kuan Yew’s younger children – are estranged from their elder brother, Lee Hsien Loong.
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Shengwu Li 14 hrs
Friends often ask me if the Singapore government is still prosecuting me after all this time. The answer is yes. I just filed my defence affidavit.
Over the past two years, my legal team has taken advice from David Pannick, a leading expert. I’m grateful for Lord Pannick’s guidance and help, even as he has been in the midst of winning a landmark constitutional case in the UK.
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Netizens point out the irony of PM Lee telling world leaders to ‘resolve differences calmly and peacefully’
We should try our best to resolve our differences calmly and peacefully, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the United Nations (UN) event on Tuesday (24 September). The event, Leadership Matters – Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the Contemporary World, was hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth.
In his speech, PM Lee said that mutual understanding, tolerance and respect can be built only when people start to appreciate the views of others, especially in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. He said, “Differences are more easily amplified, and people more readily take offence. Tensions and conflicts are prevalent not just between countries, races and religions, but also within them.”
The premier called on other countries to contribute to global efforts, as Singapore has, in promoting respect and mutual understanding.
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Lee Hsien Yang questions AGC's actions against his son but not international media outlets
Hours before his son Li Shengwu's appeal is due to be heard in court, Mr Lee Hsien Yang on Monday (Sep 3) questioned why the AGC is continuing its prosecution of his son for contempt of court, but appears not to have gone after international media & others for "much stronger criticism" of Singapore's courts.
Writing in a public Facebook post on Monday, Mr Lee, the younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, wrote that the AGC's prosecution of Mr Li for a private Facebook post that was "shared only with his friends" is continuing.
"In the meantime, much stronger criticism of Singapore courts has recently been published in some international media and widely shared public posts. AGC appears not to have commenced committal proceedings against the media and others, whilst nonetheless continuing this action against Shengwu for his private communications," added Mr Lee. He did not cite examples of the criticism put forth by international media.
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Lee Hsien Yang 12 hrs
The prosecution of Shengwu by the AGC for a private Facebook post, shared only with his friends, is continuing.
Shengwu’s lawyers have argued that AGC did not satisfy the requirements for proper service of documents outside of Singapore.
This afternoon, the Court of Appeal will hear arguments on Shengwu’s application for permission to appeal this point of law. Today’s appeal is against a denial of leave to appeal by the judge hearing the case.
In the meantime, much stronger criticism of Singapore courts has recently been published in some international media and widely shared public posts. AGC appears not to have commenced committal proceedings against the media and others, whilst nonetheless continuing this action against Shengwu for his private communications.
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Li Shengwu's appeal against a court order to serve him papers in the US to be heard
Li Shengwu will have his appeal against a court order that allowed the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to serve him court papers outside Singapore heard, following a ruling by a three-judge panel on Monday (3 September).
The nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had applied to set aside the order in relation to a contempt of court case, but it was dismissed by the High Court earlier this year. He then filed another application in June against the High Court’s decision.
Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, along with Judge of Appeal Judith Prakash and Steven Chong, on Monday gave the leave for Li to appeal in respect of “the basis for the court to exercise jurisdiction over someone outside of Singapore at the time of the commencement of the proceedings”.
related: AGC's prosecution of Li Shengwu continues: Lee Hsien Yang
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Li Shengwu’s application to set aside court order dismissed with costs
Mr Li Shengwu, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has had his application to set aside a court order allowing the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to serve papers on him outside Singapore dismissed.
Mr Li’s lawyers told Channel NewsAsia on Monday (Mar 26) that the application was dismissed with costs.
“Earlier today, we attended the hearing of our application before Justice Kannan Ramesh. After considering written & oral submissions, Justice Ramesh dismissed the application with costs,” they said in a statement.
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Li Shengwu's application to quash court order dismissed by High Court
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Contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu can start, as application challenging AGC’s order dismissed
A High Court judge has dismissed an application by Li Shengwu, paving the way for contempt of court proceedings to commence against him.
The application by the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was to challenge an order by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to personally serve him papers outside Singapore.
The decision on Monday, March 26 by Justice Kannan Ramesh, would have Li pay costs understood to be about S$6,000.
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Judge’s decision paves way for AGC’s contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu to commence
The court has dismissed Li Shengwu’s application challenging an order that allowed the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to personally serve court papers on him out of jurisdiction, with costs.
This means that Shengwu – the grandson of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew – will have to pay for the costs incurred by the AGC to respond to his application. Shengwu’s lawyers, Abraham Vergis and Asiyah Arif from Providence Law Asia, told reporters yesterday: “Earlier today, we attended the hearing of our application before Justice Kannan Ramesh. After considering written and oral submissions, Justice Ramesh dismissed the application with costs. “While Shengwu respects the court’s decision, he is understandably disappointed with the outcome. Given that novel and important legal issues arose for determination, he is currently considering whether to appeal against the decision.”
This latest development paves the way for the AGC to commence contempt of court proceedings against Shengwu, who is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s nephew. Shengwu attracted the attention of the AGC on 15 July after posting a private “friends-only” Facebook post, criticising Singapore’s government and judiciary.
AGC’s order to serve papers on Li Shengwu should be voided, his lawyers say
The lawyers of Mr Li Shengwu, nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said that an order by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to personally serve him papers outside of Singapore for contempt of court cannot be considered valid.
This comes after Mr Li filed an application on Dec 22 challenging the order that the AGC obtained from the High Court, before it launched contempt of court proceedings against him in August last year.
After a pre-trial conference discussing the matter on Thursday (Jan 4), Mr Li’s lawyers, Mr Abraham Vergis & Ms Asiyah Arif of Providence Law, issued a statement on his behalf, saying that the AGC’s order should be voided, because the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act came into force only on Oct 1 last year — months after Mr Li’s alleged offence surfaced in a private FaceBook post.
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Americans Should Care That Singapore Prosecutes Citizens Over Facebook Posts
Having lived in Singapore as a teen, I always knew I didn’t want to live in a place where free speech was crushed in the courts. As an American, I still don’t
In a disturbing trend sweeping through Southeast Asia, governments have been going after ordinary citizens when they share Facebook posts that are critical of the government, military, or head of state. This growing tactic of speech suppression tends to be met with a shrug by many Westerners who take open online forums for granted, but Americans should be paying more attention, because what’s happening half a world away isn’t so different from what’s happening here.
The most recent case emerges from Singapore, where the attorney general’s chambers are prosecuting Li Shengwu, a 32-year-old Singaporean academic who works at Harvard, over a private Facebook post. It is a fascinating story, full of family drama that is playing out in the public forum of social media.
The post, which Li wrote on July 15, was very a brief message, addressed to his circle of friends, in which he recommended a Wall Street Journal article that would help them understand events unfolding in Singapore. As an aside, to provide some context, Li wrote, “[T]he Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system. This constrains what the international media can usually report.”
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Li Shengwu's lawyers to apply to set aside court order, pre-trial conference for contempt of court case on Jan 4
In a statement on Monday, Providence Law said it had informed the court that it will apply to set aside the order that allowed the AGC to personally serve papers on Mr Li, 32, who is a junior fellow at Harvard University.
Noting that the court papers filed by the AGC exceeded 1,300 pages, the law firm said: "We explained we needed time to address the novel grounds which the AGC relied on to justify serving the papers out of jurisdiction."
The court has directed that Mr Li file his application by Dec 22, and the next pre-trial conference for the case is expected to take place on Jan 4.
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Li Shengwu to challenge court order allowing AGC to serve him lawsuit in the US
In a statement after a pre-trial conference at the High Court on Monday (Dec 4), Mr Li's lawyer Abraham Vergis said his client intends to challenge the order that allowed the AGC to “personally serve the committal papers on Shengwu in the US".
Mr Vergis added that he needed time to “address the novel grounds which the AGC relied on to justify serving the papers out of jurisdiction”, noting that the court documents were in excess of 1,300 pages.
Mr Li, who is a junior fellow at Harvard University, has said he will not return to Singapore to face the contempt proceedings.
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Attorney-General’s Chambers proceeds with contempt of court case against Li Shengwu
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has followed through with contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu, the eldest son of Lee Hsien Yang and nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The first pre-trial conference took place on Monday (13 November) at the Supreme Court. Yahoo News Singapore first reported that the AGC was proceeding with the case last week, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Abraham Vergis of Providence Law told Yahoo News Singapore that he had been engaged to represent Li, 32, a junior fellow at Harvard University.
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AGC takes contempt of court action against Li Shengwu
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has filed an application in the High Court to begin proceedings for contempt of court against Mr Li Shengwu.
In a statement last night, the AGC said it made its application against Mr Li, 32, the eldest son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang & nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, yesterday.
The impending proceedings involve a Facebook post Mr Li published on Jul 15, which the AGC said was an "egregious & baseless attack" on the judiciary.
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AGC proceeds on contempt of court case against Li Shengwu
Mr Li Shengwu, 32, a nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has been taken to court for a Facebook post saying that "the Singapore Government is very litigious & has a pliant court system".
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) initiated the move, & the first pre-trial conference was held at the High Court on Monday (Nov 13).
The Straits Times understands that Mr Li - the eldest son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang, who is the younger brother of the Prime Minister - was served court papers earlier in the United States, where he is a junior fellow at Harvard University.
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Li Shengwu appoints lawyer for contempt of court case
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s nephew Li Shengwu, who is facing contempt of court proceedings, has appointed Mr Abraham Vergis, MD of Providence Law Asia, to act on his behalf.
Mr Li, who is a junior fellow at Harvard University, was not present at a pre-trial conference (PTC) at the High Court on Monday (Nov 13). The next PTC is on Dec 4, giving Mr Vergis time to review the case.
Mr Li faces a suit brought by the Government for contempt of court after he failed to delete a FaceBook Post he put up on Jul 15.
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Oxley Road dispute ‘in abeyance’ and Lee siblings haven’t communicated recently - PM Lee
The Oxley Road dispute between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong & his siblings remains unresolved & they have not communicated recently.
Speaking to CNBC ahead of his visit to the United States from Sunday (Oct 22), PM Lee described the spat with his siblings over their 38 Oxley Road family home as being in “abeyance”.
“I’m not sure if it’s solved,” he told the business news outlet in an interview on Thursday (Oct 19).
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The nephew of Singapore’s prime minister faces court
“IN NORMAL circumstances…I would have sued,” said Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister of Singapore, in July. He was responding to claims by his siblings that he was secretly manoeuvring to prevent the demolition of the house of his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding prime minister, in violation of the terms of the older Mr Lee’s will. In the end, the younger Mr Lee said in a public statement, he concluded that such action would “further besmirch my parents’ names”.
Singapore’s attorney-general, however, takes a different view. On July 21st his office wrote to Li Shengwu, the son of one of the critical siblings and thus the prime minister’s nephew, to denounce a private post on his Facebook page as “an egregious and baseless attack on the Singapore judiciary” and one which “constitutes an offence of contempt of court”. It demanded that he should delete the post and apologise by July 28th. Mr Li, an economist at Harvard University (and a former intern at The Economist), had described the Singaporean government as “very litigious” and the country’s court system as “pliant” by way of explaining the cautious international coverage of his father’s allegations. “This constrains what the international media can usually report,” he said. Screenshots from his page began to be shared publicly.
Mr Li asked to be allowed to consider the request until August 4th; on that day he tweaked his message, but neither removed it nor said sorry. The attorney-general’s office duly filed an application in the High Court to start proceedings against him.
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Complaint Lodged with the UN over Contempt of Court Action against Li Shengwu
Non-governmental organisation, the Community Action Network, has filed a complaint to the UN regarding the contempt of court action against Li Shengwu. CAN said that it filed a complaint with the UN Special Rapporteur – a group of investigators appointed by the UN to check on human rights issues.
In doing so, it explained that “concerns that private conversations among friends may also run the risk of contempt were raised by the activists and members of parliament; the government’s clampdown on Li Shengwu’s private facebook post has proven those fears to be justified.”
The Attorney-General’s Chambers has filed contempt of court action against Li, the nephew of PM Lee Hsien Loong, for a private Facebook post in which he called the judiciary “pliant”. The AGO called it an “egregious and baseless attack on the Singapore judiciary and constitutes an offence of contempt of court.”
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Li Shengwu Tells AGC He Has Nothing To Apologize For
Despite clarifying that he was not attacking the Singapore Judiciary system, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) is still baying for Mr Li Shengwu’s blood.
This is unsurprising, given that Lee Hsien Yang’s son has continued to poke holes at AGC’s statements time and time again.
In his latest Facebook exposé on 21 Aug, Mr Li has released his response to the AGC’s continuous calls for an apology.
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Contempt of court proceedings to continue against Li Shengwu even if he’s not in S’pore
Today quoted Senior State Counsel Francis Ng telling reporters that permission to commence proceedings was granted by Justice Kannan Ramesh during a closed door hearing on Aug. 21. The AGC will have 14 days till Sept. 4 to start proceedings, then serve court documents on Li, and proceed to fix hearing dates.
Li is the son of Lee Hsien Yang and nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He revealed in a recent interview that he had left Singapore in July to return to the United States over concerns that he might be detained if he remained here. He had said in another interview earlier that he has no plans to return here and would defend himself with legal representation in Singapore.
According to Today, a hearing can go on whether or not Li or his lawyers are present. If satisfied that Li has scandalised the court, the High Court could make an order for committal and sentence him to a fine or a jail term. Li had posted on Facebook on Aug. 21 on the same day as this new development occurred about an Aug. 8 letter he received from the AGC.
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AGC takes action against Li Shengwu for contempt of court over Facebook post
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) filed an application in the High Court on Friday (Aug 4), to start committal proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu for contempt of court.
This was after Mr Li failed to take down a Facebook post which he put up on Jul 15, criticising the Singapore court system.
In its press release, the AGC reproduced the full post by Mr Li, who is the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong & eldest son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang.
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AGC to start legal action on Li Shengwu for contempt
Li Shengwu made public his replies to the Attorney General’s Chambers on Aug 21. Foto: Li Shengwu/Facebook
The High Court has given the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) the green light to launch contempt of court proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu, the son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang & nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Permission was granted by Justice Kannan Ramesh during a closed door hearing on Monday (Aug 21), bringing proceedings to the next stage, Senior State Counsel Francis Ng told reporters. The AGC will have 14 days — until Sep 4 — to write to the court to start proceedings, then serve court documents on Mr Li, so that he has a chance to respond.
A hearing can go on whether or not Mr Li or his lawyers are present.
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Singapore court grants AG permission to begin contempt proceedings against Li Shengwu
Singapore's High Court on Monday granted leave for the attorney-general's office to begin contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu, a grandson of the city state's late founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, over comments he made last month about the country's legal system.
According to correspondence released by Li, the attorney-general's chambers (AGC) had offered to stop pursuing the case against Li, whose uncle is the nation's current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, if by Monday afternoon he apologized for a Facebook post from July 15. In that post Li had said that "the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system."
In a reply to the AGC's offer, Li wrote in a letter dated Aug. 18: "The truth matters: I cannot confess to a crime I did not commit in return for a discontinuance of the legal proceedings against me."
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High Court approves AGC’s proceeding against Li Shengwu; Li contests AGC’s claims and notes its double standards
The High Court granted approval for the Attorney General's Chambers to carry out the committal proceedings against Mr Li Sheng Wu the son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang and nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, for contempt of court over comments made in a private Facebook post.
Earlier in a warning letter to Mr Li on 21 july, AGC claimed that Mr Li made “false and baseless allegations” about the lack of independence of the Singapore Judiciary in his private Facebook post made on 15 July 2017, asking him to “purge the contempt” by deleting the post from his Facebook page and other online platforms by 5pm, 28 July. He was also asked to “issue and post prominently” on his Facebook page a written apology and undertaking drafted by the AGC.
On 28 July, AGC wrote to the press, noting that it went ahead to file an application for leave in the High Court to commence committal proceedings for contempt against him as Mr Li has failed to purge the contempt and to apologise by the deadline.
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Lee Kuan Yew's grandson left Singapore because friends feared he would be detained
A grandson of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s late founding father and ruler for more than three decades, said he left the city state in July after friends expressed concerns he might be detained by the authorities in a contempt of court case.
"In Singapore, it is possible that one can be detained and interrogated for some time without a lawyer,” said Li Shengwu, whose uncle is the nation’s current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in an interview with Reuters. “My friends had warned me that they were concerned for my safety if I remained in Singapore."
Li declined to identify his friends or disclose if they had specific information. Reuters has no independent evidence that Li Shengwu faced any threats to his safety.
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Li Shengwu feared he would be detained by S'pore authorities
LI SHENGWU, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has said in an interview published on Friday that he left Singapore because of concerns that he might be detained by the authorities in a contempt of court case.
"I worry that Singapore's ruling party tries too hard to maintain a monopoly on credibility," said Mr Li.
related: AGC gets go-ahead to continue contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu
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Notes on Singapore’s Oxley Road scandal
Number 38, Oxley Road appears to be a fairly unassuming, stuccoed, gated residence in Singapore’s central River Valley area.
However the old colonial bungalow’s political capital has soared in recent weeks as it has become the centre of a convoluted and heated debate surrounding Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Since the middle of June, PM Lee has been mired in a series of allegations and rebuttals, aimed at him by his own siblings, in a very public spat over family property rights.
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Li Shengwu highlights PM Lee’s press secretary knew about contents of AGC letter to him
Li Shengwu has published in full the letters the Attorney General’s Chambers sent him on Aug. 8 and his response to them on Aug. 18.
Li wrote in a Facebook post on Monday, Aug. 21, that “the AGC privately revised its demands to me”, but “my uncle PM Lee Hsien Loong’s press secretary was aware of these revised demands, and disclosed them on 18 August”.
In response to this turn of events, Li released both letters as Google docs (see below) into the public domain.
related: Contempt of court proceedings to continue against Li Shengwu even if he’s not in S’pore
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Shengwu Li 18 hrs
In a letter on 8 August 2017, the AGC privately revised its demands to me. Surprisingly, my uncle PM Lee Hsien Loong's press secretary was aware of these revised demands, and disclosed them on 18 August. Thus, I am making public both AGC's letter and my response.
AGC’s letter: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9jJAm-8bFh8Ml9wQVVfd2JEbE0
My response: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9jJAm-8bFh8MVM1UDk4Qjc1UUU
DRIVE.GOOGLE.COM: Reply letter 18 Aug.pdf
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How did PM’s private secretary get access to private AGC correspondence? – Li Shengwu demands
Li Shengwu has released private correspondence between himself and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, since his uncle, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s private secretary somehow gained access to the private correspondence and released private information to the public.
Shengwu was referring to comments made my private secretary Chang to news agency Reuters on 18 August 2017.
In a separate development, the AGC has been given permission to continue contempt of court proceedings against the grandson of late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
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Singapore court grants AG permission to begin contempt proceedings against Li Shengwu
Singapore's High Court on Monday granted leave for the attorney-general's office to begin contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu, a grandson of the city state's late founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, over comments he made last month about the country's legal system.
According to correspondence released by Li, the attorney-general's chambers (AGC) had offered to stop pursuing the case against Li, whose uncle is the nation's current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, if by Monday afternoon he apologized for a Facebook post from July 15. In that post Li had said that "the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system."
In a reply to the AGC's offer, Li wrote in a letter dated Aug. 18: "The truth matters: I cannot confess to a crime I did not commit in return for a discontinuance of the legal proceedings against me."
related: Li Shengwu says AGC accepts his private Facebook post can stay after amendment
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AGC to continue contempt case against Li Shengwu
The High Court yesterday gave the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) permission to continue with contempt of court proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu over a Facebook post he made on the judiciary.
Senior State Counsel Francis Ng told reporters the AGC has until Sep 4 to file the required documents.
Mr Li - the eldest son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang & nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - will be given all the documents for him to respond, said an AGC spokesman.
related: Li Shengwu says he left Singapore because he feared he might be detained
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AGC gets go-ahead to start contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu
The High Court has given the Attorney-General’s Chambers the green light to start committal proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu for contempt of court.
Justice Kannan Ramesh made the decision to grant the AGC’s application on Mon (Aug 21) afternoon. The AGC has 14 days to file an order of committal against Mr Li.
In a statement released after the decision, the AGC said it would next file a substantive application with the High Court for an order of committal against Mr Li.
related:
Mr Li will not return to Singapore to face the contempt proceedings
Li Shengwu amends Facebook post on court system 'to clarify meaning'
Li Shengwu's claim that he might be detained is 'inaccurate': PMO
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AGC to start legal action on Li Shengwu for contempt
The High Court has given the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) the green light to launch contempt of court proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu, the son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang & nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Permission was granted by Justice Kannan Ramesh during a closed door hearing on Monday (Aug 21), bringing proceedings to the next stage, Senior State Counsel Francis Ng told reporters. The AGC will have 14 days — until Sep 4 — to write to the court to start proceedings, then serve court documents on Mr Li, so that he has a chance to respond.
A hearing can go on whether or not Mr Li or his lawyers are present.
related:
AGC looking into FB post by Li Shengwu criticising Singapore's court system
Li Shengwu says he will not return home to face contempt of court proceedings
AGC to start proceedings against Li Shengwu for contempt of court over Facebook post
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Which Lee family member gave away classified documents from LKY’s house?
The Court of Appeal released the judgment transcript of Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang vs. The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) last week.
The younger children of Lee Kuan Yew and co-executors of his estate bid for control of oral history transcripts containing classified information that had allegedly been removed from the late founding Prime Minister’s home by “a family member” who handed the transcripts over to a government official, without authorisation.
In the hearing, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang put forth that prior to Lee Kuan Yew’s death, a copy of the confidential transcripts were kept at his home as he was working on his memoirs. After his passing, the siblings allege that “a family member passed them to the current Cabinet Secretary, Mr Tan Kee Yong.”
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In Singapore, Family Feud Deepens Over Facebook Posts
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore during a visit to the Philippines in April. His siblings have accused him of betraying the legacy of their father, Lee Kuan Yew. Credit Mark R. Cristino/European Pressphoto Agency
Singapore’s government has been trying for two weeks to get the Harvard economist Li Shengwu, a grandson of Singapore’s founder, Lee Kuan Yew, to apologize for comments he made in a private Facebook post that were seen as critical of the country’s leadership.
The Singapore attorney general’s office even drafted an apology letter for Mr. Li to sign, in which he would admit to contempt of court and to making what it called “false and baseless” statements.
But on Friday, Mr. Li declined to give in to the demands of the government, which is led by his uncle, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and refused to sign the apology. In the Facebook post last month, he said that some foreign news outlets engaged in self-censorship when covering the prime minister because of the threat of legal action in Singapore.
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Shengwu Li 3 August at 21:09
On 15 July 2017, I made a posting on a “friends only” privacy setting, for the purpose of sharing a summary by the Wall Street Journal of the political crisis in Singapore. I also added a link to an editorial by the New York Times.
An unauthorized screenshot of my private post was however taken, and given to others that did not have access to my private post. Without my approval, the unauthorized screenshot of my private post, or content from my private post, was published and republished by others, including by Singapore’s mainstream media.
The Singapore Attorney General’s Chambers then sent me a threatening letter saying that my private post is an attack on the Singapore judiciary and is in contempt of court. It is not.
No one who published or republished my private post had approached me to clarify what I meant. Curiously, the Singapore media had time to seek statements from a Senior Minister of State and the AGC, but did not even do basic fact-checking – they inaccurately reported that the post was taken down, because they did not bother to contact me.
If my private post is read in context, it is evident that I did not attack the Singapore judiciary. In the context of sharing the summary by the Wall Street Journal, I intended to convey that the international media were restricted in their ability to report on the recent crisis, due to the litigious nature of the Singapore government, and the different legal rules with respect to press freedom in Singapore as compared to countries such as the United States. There is also flexibility in Singapore’s defamation laws – they just have different boundaries from the defamation laws in other jurisdictions. The government makes use of these legal rules to restrict unfavourable reporting.
It is not my intent to attack the Singapore judiciary or to undermine public confidence in the administration of justice. Any criticism I made is of the Singapore government’s litigious nature, and its use of legal rules and actions to stifle the free press. However, to avoid any misunderstanding of my original private post, I have amended the post so as to clarify my meaning.
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PM Lee’s Nephew Supports Pink Dot
Thousands of Singaporeans flocked to Hong Lim Park on Saturday (July 1), as the much-anticipated Pink Dot was held after overcoming many obstacles.
Among them: Foreign sponsorship was banned, which led to local companies filling in the gap; foreigners were banned entirely, leading to barricades being erected around the park; and people complained over even the event’s ad at Orchard Cineleisure.
In happier news, however, Paralympian Theresa Goh came out and became a Pink Dot ambassador. Here she is at the event,
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related:
Mr Li Shengwu has said he will pay a $15,000 fine for contempt of court but he does not admit guilt and disagrees that he said anything illegal in a private Facebook post.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 11), a day before the fine is due, Mr Li wrote that he has decided to pay the fine "in order to buy some peace and quiet".
"Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore Government an easy excuse to attack me and my family," he added.
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Li Shengwu on contempt of court case: “I do not admit guilt”
Li Shengwu announced his decision to pay the S$15,000 fine for being found to be in contempt of court, but added that he does not admit guilt.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 11), a day before the deadline to make payment, Mr Li wrote: I have an announcement to make about my legal case in Singapore”.
“I have decided to pay the fine, in order to buy some peace and quiet. Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore government an easy excuse to attack me and my family”, Mr Li wrote.
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Shengwu Li 10 August at 19:19
I have an announcement to make about my legal case in Singapore.
The government claims that my friends-only Facebook post "scandalized the judiciary". The true scandal is the misuse of state resources to repress private speech. In the course of this three-year prosecution, the Singapore Attorney General's chambers has written thousands of pages of legal documents, suppressed parts of my defence affidavit, and demanded that I reveal to them all of my friends on Facebook.
Back in January, I decided that I would not dignify the government’s prosecution by continuing to respond. Even without my participation, it took six more months to arrive at a verdict, long enough for the government to mishandle a pandemic and hold an election.
I have decided to pay the fine, in order to buy some peace and quiet. Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore government an easy excuse to attack me and my family.
I do not admit guilt. I have never denied writing what I wrote, to my friends in a private Facebook post. I disagree that my words were illegal. Moreover, civilized countries should not fine or jail their citizens for private comments on the court system.
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AGC succeeds in applications; Li Shengwu must appear in court to be cross-examined
Mr Li Shengwu will have to make himself available for cross-examination in the contempt of court proceedings against him, said the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) on Monday (Feb 3).
Mr Li, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, will also have to answer questions under oath that the AGC has posed to him.
This latest development came after the High Court on Monday heard several applications by both sides.
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AGC hits back at Li Shengwu, says withdrawal from court case is to avoid taking questions under oath
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has hit back at the Prime Minister’s nephew Li Shengwu, saying his decision to withdraw from a contempt-of-court case against him was to avoid the prospect of answering questions under oath and disclose information.
In a three-page statement to the media on Thursday (Jan 23), the AGC said Mr Li had “contrived excuses for running away”, and that his decision to stop participating in the court proceedings was a clear acknowledgement that his defence had no merit.
The AGC added Mr Li should continue to take part in the proceedings if he believes his statement was not in contempt of Singapore’s judiciary.
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Singapore PM’s estranged nephew Li Shengwu will not ‘participate’ in contempt case, will unfriend cousin on Facebook
The Lee family tree. Image: SCMP
A grandson of Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew says he will no longer take part in a contempt of court case brought against him by the city state’s Attorney General’s Chambers.
Li Shengwu in a public Facebook post on Wednesday said the AGC had recently sought to strike out parts of his defence affidavit and this meant part of his court filings would not be considered at the trial. The AGC also wanted those parts to be sealed in the court record and not made public, he claimed. “This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of unusual conduct by the AGC,” he said, adding that the AGC had previously argued for a new piece of legislation to be retroactively applied to his case. This application was rejected by the court.
“In light of these events, I have decided that I will not continue to participate in the proceedings against me. I will not dignify the AGC’s conduct by my participation,” he added.
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Li Shengwu: I will no longer take part in contempt of court proceedings, have unfriended Hongyi
In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening (22 January), the assistant professor of economics at Harvard University blasted what he calls the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) persistently “unusual conduct” in its two-and-a-half-year-long case against him.
For example, Li said, the AGC had applied to strike out parts of his defence affidavit, with the result that they will not be considered at the trial. He added that the AGC subsequently demanded that these parts be sealed in the court record. The public does not have access to sealed court records. And, Li said, when arguing jurisdiction in the Court of Appeal, the AGC argued that a new piece of legislation should be retroactively applied against him. “The court saw it as unfair for the new legislation to apply retrospectively,” Li said.
Given the AGC’s actions, the 34-year-old concluded that he would no longer participate in the legal proceedings, adding, “I will not dignify the AGC’s conduct by my participation.”
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Li Shengwu unfriends cousin Li Hongyi, pulls out of legal proceedings with AGC
Li is currently being prosecuted by the AGC for allegedly scandalising the judiciary with a private Facebook post. In his July 2017 post, Li expressed his opinions of the Singapore judicial system, which he asserted has an impact on international media reporting. The private post was not publicly accessible but one of his Facebook friends took a screen shot of it. This screen shot was later shared on social media by other groups.
“This prosecution has continued for years, and during that time the AGC has submitted thousands of pages of legal documents over one paragraph on social media,” wrote Li. Li also shared more recent updates to the proceedings in his post, highlighting some allegedly “unusual conduct” by the AGC. According to him, the AGC applied to strike out parts of his defence affidavit so that they will not be considered during the trial.Li claimed that AGC wants these portions sealed in the court record “so that the public cannot k now what the removed parts contain”.
Separately, Li also pointed to the example of AGC attempting to apply the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act — which only took effect in October 2017 — retroactively against him as proof of said unusual conduct. It was rejected by the court. He ended his post by saying that he will not continue to participate in the proceedings against him, in light of these events.
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“Could you please leave me out of this?” – Hongyi tells Shengwu
In response to Shengwu’s most recent revelation that he has decided to remove Hongyi from his Facebook friends list, the Prime Minister’s son wrote on Facebook: “I don’t know whats going on between you and the government, but I’ve got nothing to do with it. Could you please leave me out of this?”
Claiming that he has “really tried to not be involved as far as possible,” Hongyi said: “If there’s something I’ve done that’s led you to believe otherwise, I would be happy to talk with you about it. It’s a bit disconcerting to be repeatedly publicly accused of undermining democracy without understanding why.”
He added: “I would prefer not to have done this over public facebook posts. But I suppose thats (sic) how we communicate nowadays.”
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Rift between Lee cousins widens: Shengwu removes Hongyi from his Facebook friends list
Shengwu revealed on Facebook this evening (22 Jan) that he has removed Hongyi from his Facebook friends list.
Hongyi, 32, is the son of Lee Kuan Yew’s eldest son, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, while Shengwu, 34, is the eldest son of Lee Hsien Yang — Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son.
Shengwu and Hongyi were once described as “very close”. The cousins, who drew attention when they delivered eulogies at their grandfather’s funeral in 2015, were both in the west coast of the United States at one point as Shengwu was pursuing his PhD at Stanford University and Hongyi was working at Google in Silicon Valley.
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Li Shengwu hires top UK lawyer David Pannick to fight contempt of court case in Singapore
The nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Mr Li Shengwu, has hired a top British lawyer to advise him in his contempt of court case.
Queen's Counsel David Pannick is one of the lawyers who won a landmark case this week against British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament before the deadline to exit the European Union.
Mr Li, an assistant professor of economics at Harvard University, said on Facebook on Wednesday (Sept 25): "I'm grateful for Lord Pannick's guidance and help, even as he has been in the midst of winning a landmark constitutional case in the UK."
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Top UK lawyer who defeated Boris Johnson’s government advises Singapore PM’s estranged nephew Li Shengwu
Li Shengwu, a nephew of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has revealed he is taking advice from a Queen’s Counsel who helped defeat the British government’s recent attempt to suspend parliament.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Li Shengwu – who is facing contempt of court charges linked to a bitter family feud – said his legal team had been taking advice from David Pannick for the past two years.
Legal heavyweight Pannick and fellow Queen’s Counsel Tom Hickman, both of London’s Blackstone Chambers, were the barristers for the activist and businesswoman Gina Miller – one of the parties who brought legal action against British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament.
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Li Shengwu has 'taken advice' from top UK lawyer David Pannick for contempt of court case
Mr Li Shengwu, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said on Wednesday (Sep 25) that British lawyer David Pannick has been advising his legal team for a contempt of court case.
The 34-year-old is being sued by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) for allegedly saying in a private Facebook post in 2017 that Singapore has a "pliant court system", and that the Singapore Government was "very litigious".
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Harvard University assistant professor said that for the past two years, his legal team has been taking advice from Mr Pannick, who he describes as "a leading expert".
related: AGC takes action against Li Shengwu for contempt of court over FB post
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Singapore PM's nephew enlists top UK lawyer for contempt case
The Singapore prime minister's nephew said on Wednesday he had hired top British lawyer David Pannick to advise him on a contempt of court case at the heart of a feud among members of the city-state's first family.
Mr Pannick, who counts Queen Elizabeth II and Saudi Arabia among his clients, is one of the lawyers who this week won a landmark case to overturn the British government's suspension of parliament in the weeks before the deadline to exit the EU.
"Over the past two years, my legal team has taken advice from David Pannick, a leading expert," the nephew, Li Shengwu, said in a Facebook post.
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Li Shengwu enlists top British lawyer to fight contempt of court case
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s nephew, Mr Li Shengwu, has hired top British lawyer David Pannick to advise him in his contempt of court case.
Mr Pannick is one of the lawyers who, this week, won a landmark case to overturn the British government’s suspension of parliament in the weeks before the deadline to exit the European Union.
Mr Li, 34, wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Sept 25) that he has just filed his defence affidavit, adding that his legal team has taken advice from Mr Pannick over the past two years.
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Grandson of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew says online trolls fuelled controversy over judiciary comments
Li Shengwu, the grandson of Singapore’s late independence leader Lee Kuan Yew, has said in a court affidavit that online trolls had sought to cause trouble for his family – already mired in a bitter public dispute – when they circulated comments about the judiciary he had made in a “friends only” Facebook post.
“I believe that the person(s) responsible for this were clearly acting maliciously, intending to cause mischief and trouble for me and family,” the Harvard University assistant economics professor said in the statement.
Li, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is currently facing contempt charges in the Lion City for the July 2017 comments, and filed his defence affidavit last week.
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AGC's actions against me were 'gratuitous' and 'extraordinary': Li Shengwu
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) actions in response to a private Facebook post made by Li Shengwu were both “gratuitous” and “extraordinary”, said Li as his lawyers filed his defence affidavit against charges of contempt of court.
In papers filed last Tuesday (24 September), the nephew of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong again emphasised that his comments in his post of 15 July 2017 were not meant for public consumption. Instead, a screenshot of the post taken by an “unknown person” had been sent to a public Facebook page.
“The AGC then chose to pre-emptively and gratuitously issue an unsolicited statement to over 60 journalists that the AGC was looking into my Private Post. The AGC’s act of issuing a public statement on the matter triggered widespread news coverage about my Private Post, which they are now trying to hold me liable for,” said Li, who is the eldest son of Lee Hsien Loong’s brother Hsien Yang.
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Li Shengwu: “The Singapore government is still prosecuting me after all this time”
Shengwu, who is the grandson of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and nephew of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, wrote on social media: “Friends often ask me if the Singapore government is still prosecuting me after all this time. The answer is yes. I just filed my defence affidavit.
“Over the past two years, my legal team has taken advice from David Pannick, a leading expert. I’m grateful for Lord Pannick’s guidance and help, even as he has been in the midst of winning a landmark constitutional case in the UK.”
His post was shared by his father, Lee Hsien Yang, and aunt, Lee Wei Ling. Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling – the late Lee Kuan Yew’s younger children – are estranged from their elder brother, Lee Hsien Loong.
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Shengwu Li 14 hrs
Friends often ask me if the Singapore government is still prosecuting me after all this time. The answer is yes. I just filed my defence affidavit.
Over the past two years, my legal team has taken advice from David Pannick, a leading expert. I’m grateful for Lord Pannick’s guidance and help, even as he has been in the midst of winning a landmark constitutional case in the UK.
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Netizens point out the irony of PM Lee telling world leaders to ‘resolve differences calmly and peacefully’
We should try our best to resolve our differences calmly and peacefully, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the United Nations (UN) event on Tuesday (24 September). The event, Leadership Matters – Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the Contemporary World, was hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth.
In his speech, PM Lee said that mutual understanding, tolerance and respect can be built only when people start to appreciate the views of others, especially in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. He said, “Differences are more easily amplified, and people more readily take offence. Tensions and conflicts are prevalent not just between countries, races and religions, but also within them.”
The premier called on other countries to contribute to global efforts, as Singapore has, in promoting respect and mutual understanding.
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Lee Hsien Yang questions AGC's actions against his son but not international media outlets
Hours before his son Li Shengwu's appeal is due to be heard in court, Mr Lee Hsien Yang on Monday (Sep 3) questioned why the AGC is continuing its prosecution of his son for contempt of court, but appears not to have gone after international media & others for "much stronger criticism" of Singapore's courts.
Writing in a public Facebook post on Monday, Mr Lee, the younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, wrote that the AGC's prosecution of Mr Li for a private Facebook post that was "shared only with his friends" is continuing.
"In the meantime, much stronger criticism of Singapore courts has recently been published in some international media and widely shared public posts. AGC appears not to have commenced committal proceedings against the media and others, whilst nonetheless continuing this action against Shengwu for his private communications," added Mr Lee. He did not cite examples of the criticism put forth by international media.
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Lee Hsien Yang 12 hrs
The prosecution of Shengwu by the AGC for a private Facebook post, shared only with his friends, is continuing.
Shengwu’s lawyers have argued that AGC did not satisfy the requirements for proper service of documents outside of Singapore.
This afternoon, the Court of Appeal will hear arguments on Shengwu’s application for permission to appeal this point of law. Today’s appeal is against a denial of leave to appeal by the judge hearing the case.
In the meantime, much stronger criticism of Singapore courts has recently been published in some international media and widely shared public posts. AGC appears not to have commenced committal proceedings against the media and others, whilst nonetheless continuing this action against Shengwu for his private communications.
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Li Shengwu's appeal against a court order to serve him papers in the US to be heard
Li Shengwu will have his appeal against a court order that allowed the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to serve him court papers outside Singapore heard, following a ruling by a three-judge panel on Monday (3 September).
The nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had applied to set aside the order in relation to a contempt of court case, but it was dismissed by the High Court earlier this year. He then filed another application in June against the High Court’s decision.
Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, along with Judge of Appeal Judith Prakash and Steven Chong, on Monday gave the leave for Li to appeal in respect of “the basis for the court to exercise jurisdiction over someone outside of Singapore at the time of the commencement of the proceedings”.
related: AGC's prosecution of Li Shengwu continues: Lee Hsien Yang
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Li Shengwu’s application to set aside court order dismissed with costs
Mr Li Shengwu, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has had his application to set aside a court order allowing the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to serve papers on him outside Singapore dismissed.
Mr Li’s lawyers told Channel NewsAsia on Monday (Mar 26) that the application was dismissed with costs.
“Earlier today, we attended the hearing of our application before Justice Kannan Ramesh. After considering written & oral submissions, Justice Ramesh dismissed the application with costs,” they said in a statement.
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Li Shengwu's application to quash court order dismissed by High Court
The High Court has dismissed an application by Mr Li Shengwu to quash a court order in the contempt of court case brought against him by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC).
Mr Li, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, had applied to the court to set aside a court order that allowed the AGC to serve him court papers in Massachusetts, the United States, where he works.
His lawyers, Mr Abraham Vergis and Ms Asiyah Arif from Providence Law Asia, told The Straits Times yesterday that Justice Kannan Ramesh had dismissed the application with costs after considering written oral submissions.
Contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu can start, as application challenging AGC’s order dismissed
A High Court judge has dismissed an application by Li Shengwu, paving the way for contempt of court proceedings to commence against him.
The application by the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was to challenge an order by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to personally serve him papers outside Singapore.
The decision on Monday, March 26 by Justice Kannan Ramesh, would have Li pay costs understood to be about S$6,000.
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Judge’s decision paves way for AGC’s contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu to commence
The court has dismissed Li Shengwu’s application challenging an order that allowed the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to personally serve court papers on him out of jurisdiction, with costs.
This means that Shengwu – the grandson of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew – will have to pay for the costs incurred by the AGC to respond to his application. Shengwu’s lawyers, Abraham Vergis and Asiyah Arif from Providence Law Asia, told reporters yesterday: “Earlier today, we attended the hearing of our application before Justice Kannan Ramesh. After considering written and oral submissions, Justice Ramesh dismissed the application with costs. “While Shengwu respects the court’s decision, he is understandably disappointed with the outcome. Given that novel and important legal issues arose for determination, he is currently considering whether to appeal against the decision.”
This latest development paves the way for the AGC to commence contempt of court proceedings against Shengwu, who is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s nephew. Shengwu attracted the attention of the AGC on 15 July after posting a private “friends-only” Facebook post, criticising Singapore’s government and judiciary.
AGC’s order to serve papers on Li Shengwu should be voided, his lawyers say
The lawyers of Mr Li Shengwu, nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said that an order by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to personally serve him papers outside of Singapore for contempt of court cannot be considered valid.
This comes after Mr Li filed an application on Dec 22 challenging the order that the AGC obtained from the High Court, before it launched contempt of court proceedings against him in August last year.
After a pre-trial conference discussing the matter on Thursday (Jan 4), Mr Li’s lawyers, Mr Abraham Vergis & Ms Asiyah Arif of Providence Law, issued a statement on his behalf, saying that the AGC’s order should be voided, because the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act came into force only on Oct 1 last year — months after Mr Li’s alleged offence surfaced in a private FaceBook post.
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Americans Should Care That Singapore Prosecutes Citizens Over Facebook Posts
In a disturbing trend sweeping through Southeast Asia, governments have been going after ordinary citizens when they share Facebook posts that are critical of the government, military, or head of state. This growing tactic of speech suppression tends to be met with a shrug by many Westerners who take open online forums for granted, but Americans should be paying more attention, because what’s happening half a world away isn’t so different from what’s happening here.
The most recent case emerges from Singapore, where the attorney general’s chambers are prosecuting Li Shengwu, a 32-year-old Singaporean academic who works at Harvard, over a private Facebook post. It is a fascinating story, full of family drama that is playing out in the public forum of social media.
The post, which Li wrote on July 15, was very a brief message, addressed to his circle of friends, in which he recommended a Wall Street Journal article that would help them understand events unfolding in Singapore. As an aside, to provide some context, Li wrote, “[T]he Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system. This constrains what the international media can usually report.”
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Li Shengwu's lawyers to apply to set aside court order, pre-trial conference for contempt of court case on Jan 4
In a statement on Monday, Providence Law said it had informed the court that it will apply to set aside the order that allowed the AGC to personally serve papers on Mr Li, 32, who is a junior fellow at Harvard University.
Noting that the court papers filed by the AGC exceeded 1,300 pages, the law firm said: "We explained we needed time to address the novel grounds which the AGC relied on to justify serving the papers out of jurisdiction."
The court has directed that Mr Li file his application by Dec 22, and the next pre-trial conference for the case is expected to take place on Jan 4.
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Li Shengwu to challenge court order allowing AGC to serve him lawsuit in the US
In a statement after a pre-trial conference at the High Court on Monday (Dec 4), Mr Li's lawyer Abraham Vergis said his client intends to challenge the order that allowed the AGC to “personally serve the committal papers on Shengwu in the US".
Mr Vergis added that he needed time to “address the novel grounds which the AGC relied on to justify serving the papers out of jurisdiction”, noting that the court documents were in excess of 1,300 pages.
Mr Li, who is a junior fellow at Harvard University, has said he will not return to Singapore to face the contempt proceedings.
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Attorney-General’s Chambers proceeds with contempt of court case against Li Shengwu
Li Shengwu in the US in August 2017. Photo: Reuters
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has followed through with contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu, the eldest son of Lee Hsien Yang and nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The first pre-trial conference took place on Monday (13 November) at the Supreme Court. Yahoo News Singapore first reported that the AGC was proceeding with the case last week, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Abraham Vergis of Providence Law told Yahoo News Singapore that he had been engaged to represent Li, 32, a junior fellow at Harvard University.
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AGC takes contempt of court action against Li Shengwu
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has filed an application in the High Court to begin proceedings for contempt of court against Mr Li Shengwu.
In a statement last night, the AGC said it made its application against Mr Li, 32, the eldest son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang & nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, yesterday.
The impending proceedings involve a Facebook post Mr Li published on Jul 15, which the AGC said was an "egregious & baseless attack" on the judiciary.
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AGC proceeds on contempt of court case against Li Shengwu
Mr Li Shengwu, 32, a nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has been taken to court for a Facebook post saying that "the Singapore Government is very litigious & has a pliant court system".
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) initiated the move, & the first pre-trial conference was held at the High Court on Monday (Nov 13).
The Straits Times understands that Mr Li - the eldest son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang, who is the younger brother of the Prime Minister - was served court papers earlier in the United States, where he is a junior fellow at Harvard University.
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Li Shengwu appoints lawyer for contempt of court case
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s nephew Li Shengwu, who is facing contempt of court proceedings, has appointed Mr Abraham Vergis, MD of Providence Law Asia, to act on his behalf.
Mr Li, who is a junior fellow at Harvard University, was not present at a pre-trial conference (PTC) at the High Court on Monday (Nov 13). The next PTC is on Dec 4, giving Mr Vergis time to review the case.
Mr Li faces a suit brought by the Government for contempt of court after he failed to delete a FaceBook Post he put up on Jul 15.
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Oxley Road dispute ‘in abeyance’ and Lee siblings haven’t communicated recently - PM Lee
The Oxley Road dispute between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong & his siblings remains unresolved & they have not communicated recently.
Speaking to CNBC ahead of his visit to the United States from Sunday (Oct 22), PM Lee described the spat with his siblings over their 38 Oxley Road family home as being in “abeyance”.
“I’m not sure if it’s solved,” he told the business news outlet in an interview on Thursday (Oct 19).
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The nephew of Singapore’s prime minister faces court
“IN NORMAL circumstances…I would have sued,” said Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister of Singapore, in July. He was responding to claims by his siblings that he was secretly manoeuvring to prevent the demolition of the house of his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding prime minister, in violation of the terms of the older Mr Lee’s will. In the end, the younger Mr Lee said in a public statement, he concluded that such action would “further besmirch my parents’ names”.
Singapore’s attorney-general, however, takes a different view. On July 21st his office wrote to Li Shengwu, the son of one of the critical siblings and thus the prime minister’s nephew, to denounce a private post on his Facebook page as “an egregious and baseless attack on the Singapore judiciary” and one which “constitutes an offence of contempt of court”. It demanded that he should delete the post and apologise by July 28th. Mr Li, an economist at Harvard University (and a former intern at The Economist), had described the Singaporean government as “very litigious” and the country’s court system as “pliant” by way of explaining the cautious international coverage of his father’s allegations. “This constrains what the international media can usually report,” he said. Screenshots from his page began to be shared publicly.
Mr Li asked to be allowed to consider the request until August 4th; on that day he tweaked his message, but neither removed it nor said sorry. The attorney-general’s office duly filed an application in the High Court to start proceedings against him.
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Complaint Lodged with the UN over Contempt of Court Action against Li Shengwu
Non-governmental organisation, the Community Action Network, has filed a complaint to the UN regarding the contempt of court action against Li Shengwu. CAN said that it filed a complaint with the UN Special Rapporteur – a group of investigators appointed by the UN to check on human rights issues.
In doing so, it explained that “concerns that private conversations among friends may also run the risk of contempt were raised by the activists and members of parliament; the government’s clampdown on Li Shengwu’s private facebook post has proven those fears to be justified.”
The Attorney-General’s Chambers has filed contempt of court action against Li, the nephew of PM Lee Hsien Loong, for a private Facebook post in which he called the judiciary “pliant”. The AGO called it an “egregious and baseless attack on the Singapore judiciary and constitutes an offence of contempt of court.”
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Li Shengwu Tells AGC He Has Nothing To Apologize For
Li Shengwu Refuses To Back Down To AGC In Contempt Of Court Case
Despite clarifying that he was not attacking the Singapore Judiciary system, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) is still baying for Mr Li Shengwu’s blood.
This is unsurprising, given that Lee Hsien Yang’s son has continued to poke holes at AGC’s statements time and time again.
In his latest Facebook exposé on 21 Aug, Mr Li has released his response to the AGC’s continuous calls for an apology.
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Contempt of court proceedings to continue against Li Shengwu even if he’s not in S’pore
Today quoted Senior State Counsel Francis Ng telling reporters that permission to commence proceedings was granted by Justice Kannan Ramesh during a closed door hearing on Aug. 21. The AGC will have 14 days till Sept. 4 to start proceedings, then serve court documents on Li, and proceed to fix hearing dates.
Li is the son of Lee Hsien Yang and nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He revealed in a recent interview that he had left Singapore in July to return to the United States over concerns that he might be detained if he remained here. He had said in another interview earlier that he has no plans to return here and would defend himself with legal representation in Singapore.
According to Today, a hearing can go on whether or not Li or his lawyers are present. If satisfied that Li has scandalised the court, the High Court could make an order for committal and sentence him to a fine or a jail term. Li had posted on Facebook on Aug. 21 on the same day as this new development occurred about an Aug. 8 letter he received from the AGC.
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AGC takes action against Li Shengwu for contempt of court over Facebook post
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) filed an application in the High Court on Friday (Aug 4), to start committal proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu for contempt of court.
This was after Mr Li failed to take down a Facebook post which he put up on Jul 15, criticising the Singapore court system.
In its press release, the AGC reproduced the full post by Mr Li, who is the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong & eldest son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang.
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AGC to start legal action on Li Shengwu for contempt
The High Court has given the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) the green light to launch contempt of court proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu, the son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang & nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Permission was granted by Justice Kannan Ramesh during a closed door hearing on Monday (Aug 21), bringing proceedings to the next stage, Senior State Counsel Francis Ng told reporters. The AGC will have 14 days — until Sep 4 — to write to the court to start proceedings, then serve court documents on Mr Li, so that he has a chance to respond.
A hearing can go on whether or not Mr Li or his lawyers are present.
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Singapore court grants AG permission to begin contempt proceedings against Li Shengwu
Singapore's High Court on Monday granted leave for the attorney-general's office to begin contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu, a grandson of the city state's late founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, over comments he made last month about the country's legal system.
According to correspondence released by Li, the attorney-general's chambers (AGC) had offered to stop pursuing the case against Li, whose uncle is the nation's current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, if by Monday afternoon he apologized for a Facebook post from July 15. In that post Li had said that "the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system."
In a reply to the AGC's offer, Li wrote in a letter dated Aug. 18: "The truth matters: I cannot confess to a crime I did not commit in return for a discontinuance of the legal proceedings against me."
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High Court approves AGC’s proceeding against Li Shengwu; Li contests AGC’s claims and notes its double standards
The High Court granted approval for the Attorney General's Chambers to carry out the committal proceedings against Mr Li Sheng Wu the son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang and nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, for contempt of court over comments made in a private Facebook post.
Earlier in a warning letter to Mr Li on 21 july, AGC claimed that Mr Li made “false and baseless allegations” about the lack of independence of the Singapore Judiciary in his private Facebook post made on 15 July 2017, asking him to “purge the contempt” by deleting the post from his Facebook page and other online platforms by 5pm, 28 July. He was also asked to “issue and post prominently” on his Facebook page a written apology and undertaking drafted by the AGC.
On 28 July, AGC wrote to the press, noting that it went ahead to file an application for leave in the High Court to commence committal proceedings for contempt against him as Mr Li has failed to purge the contempt and to apologise by the deadline.
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Lee Kuan Yew's grandson left Singapore because friends feared he would be detained
A grandson of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s late founding father and ruler for more than three decades, said he left the city state in July after friends expressed concerns he might be detained by the authorities in a contempt of court case.
"In Singapore, it is possible that one can be detained and interrogated for some time without a lawyer,” said Li Shengwu, whose uncle is the nation’s current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in an interview with Reuters. “My friends had warned me that they were concerned for my safety if I remained in Singapore."
Li declined to identify his friends or disclose if they had specific information. Reuters has no independent evidence that Li Shengwu faced any threats to his safety.
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Li Shengwu feared he would be detained by S'pore authorities
LI SHENGWU, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has said in an interview published on Friday that he left Singapore because of concerns that he might be detained by the authorities in a contempt of court case.
"I worry that Singapore's ruling party tries too hard to maintain a monopoly on credibility," said Mr Li.
related: AGC gets go-ahead to continue contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu
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Notes on Singapore’s Oxley Road scandal
Number 38, Oxley Road appears to be a fairly unassuming, stuccoed, gated residence in Singapore’s central River Valley area.
However the old colonial bungalow’s political capital has soared in recent weeks as it has become the centre of a convoluted and heated debate surrounding Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Since the middle of June, PM Lee has been mired in a series of allegations and rebuttals, aimed at him by his own siblings, in a very public spat over family property rights.
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Li Shengwu highlights PM Lee’s press secretary knew about contents of AGC letter to him
Li Shengwu has published in full the letters the Attorney General’s Chambers sent him on Aug. 8 and his response to them on Aug. 18.
Li wrote in a Facebook post on Monday, Aug. 21, that “the AGC privately revised its demands to me”, but “my uncle PM Lee Hsien Loong’s press secretary was aware of these revised demands, and disclosed them on 18 August”.
In response to this turn of events, Li released both letters as Google docs (see below) into the public domain.
related: Contempt of court proceedings to continue against Li Shengwu even if he’s not in S’pore
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Shengwu Li 18 hrs
In a letter on 8 August 2017, the AGC privately revised its demands to me. Surprisingly, my uncle PM Lee Hsien Loong's press secretary was aware of these revised demands, and disclosed them on 18 August. Thus, I am making public both AGC's letter and my response.
AGC’s letter: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9jJAm-8bFh8Ml9wQVVfd2JEbE0
My response: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9jJAm-8bFh8MVM1UDk4Qjc1UUU
DRIVE.GOOGLE.COM: Reply letter 18 Aug.pdf
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How did PM’s private secretary get access to private AGC correspondence? – Li Shengwu demands
Li Shengwu has released private correspondence between himself and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, since his uncle, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s private secretary somehow gained access to the private correspondence and released private information to the public.
Shengwu was referring to comments made my private secretary Chang to news agency Reuters on 18 August 2017.
In a separate development, the AGC has been given permission to continue contempt of court proceedings against the grandson of late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
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Singapore court grants AG permission to begin contempt proceedings against Li Shengwu
Singapore's High Court on Monday granted leave for the attorney-general's office to begin contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu, a grandson of the city state's late founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, over comments he made last month about the country's legal system.
According to correspondence released by Li, the attorney-general's chambers (AGC) had offered to stop pursuing the case against Li, whose uncle is the nation's current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, if by Monday afternoon he apologized for a Facebook post from July 15. In that post Li had said that "the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system."
In a reply to the AGC's offer, Li wrote in a letter dated Aug. 18: "The truth matters: I cannot confess to a crime I did not commit in return for a discontinuance of the legal proceedings against me."
related: Li Shengwu says AGC accepts his private Facebook post can stay after amendment
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AGC to continue contempt case against Li Shengwu
The High Court yesterday gave the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) permission to continue with contempt of court proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu over a Facebook post he made on the judiciary.
Senior State Counsel Francis Ng told reporters the AGC has until Sep 4 to file the required documents.
Mr Li - the eldest son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang & nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - will be given all the documents for him to respond, said an AGC spokesman.
related: Li Shengwu says he left Singapore because he feared he might be detained
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AGC gets go-ahead to start contempt of court proceedings against Li Shengwu
The High Court has given the Attorney-General’s Chambers the green light to start committal proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu for contempt of court.
Justice Kannan Ramesh made the decision to grant the AGC’s application on Mon (Aug 21) afternoon. The AGC has 14 days to file an order of committal against Mr Li.
In a statement released after the decision, the AGC said it would next file a substantive application with the High Court for an order of committal against Mr Li.
related:
Mr Li will not return to Singapore to face the contempt proceedings
Li Shengwu amends Facebook post on court system 'to clarify meaning'
Li Shengwu's claim that he might be detained is 'inaccurate': PMO
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AGC to start legal action on Li Shengwu for contempt
Li Shengwu made public his replies to the Attorney General’s Chambers on Aug 21
The High Court has given the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) the green light to launch contempt of court proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu, the son of Mr Lee Hsien Yang & nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Permission was granted by Justice Kannan Ramesh during a closed door hearing on Monday (Aug 21), bringing proceedings to the next stage, Senior State Counsel Francis Ng told reporters. The AGC will have 14 days — until Sep 4 — to write to the court to start proceedings, then serve court documents on Mr Li, so that he has a chance to respond.
A hearing can go on whether or not Mr Li or his lawyers are present.
related:
AGC looking into FB post by Li Shengwu criticising Singapore's court system
Li Shengwu says he will not return home to face contempt of court proceedings
AGC to start proceedings against Li Shengwu for contempt of court over Facebook post
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Which Lee family member gave away classified documents from LKY’s house?
The Court of Appeal released the judgment transcript of Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang vs. The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) last week.
The younger children of Lee Kuan Yew and co-executors of his estate bid for control of oral history transcripts containing classified information that had allegedly been removed from the late founding Prime Minister’s home by “a family member” who handed the transcripts over to a government official, without authorisation.
In the hearing, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang put forth that prior to Lee Kuan Yew’s death, a copy of the confidential transcripts were kept at his home as he was working on his memoirs. After his passing, the siblings allege that “a family member passed them to the current Cabinet Secretary, Mr Tan Kee Yong.”
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In Singapore, Family Feud Deepens Over Facebook Posts
Singapore’s government has been trying for two weeks to get the Harvard economist Li Shengwu, a grandson of Singapore’s founder, Lee Kuan Yew, to apologize for comments he made in a private Facebook post that were seen as critical of the country’s leadership.
The Singapore attorney general’s office even drafted an apology letter for Mr. Li to sign, in which he would admit to contempt of court and to making what it called “false and baseless” statements.
But on Friday, Mr. Li declined to give in to the demands of the government, which is led by his uncle, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and refused to sign the apology. In the Facebook post last month, he said that some foreign news outlets engaged in self-censorship when covering the prime minister because of the threat of legal action in Singapore.
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Shengwu Li 3 August at 21:09
On 15 July 2017, I made a posting on a “friends only” privacy setting, for the purpose of sharing a summary by the Wall Street Journal of the political crisis in Singapore. I also added a link to an editorial by the New York Times.
An unauthorized screenshot of my private post was however taken, and given to others that did not have access to my private post. Without my approval, the unauthorized screenshot of my private post, or content from my private post, was published and republished by others, including by Singapore’s mainstream media.
The Singapore Attorney General’s Chambers then sent me a threatening letter saying that my private post is an attack on the Singapore judiciary and is in contempt of court. It is not.
No one who published or republished my private post had approached me to clarify what I meant. Curiously, the Singapore media had time to seek statements from a Senior Minister of State and the AGC, but did not even do basic fact-checking – they inaccurately reported that the post was taken down, because they did not bother to contact me.
If my private post is read in context, it is evident that I did not attack the Singapore judiciary. In the context of sharing the summary by the Wall Street Journal, I intended to convey that the international media were restricted in their ability to report on the recent crisis, due to the litigious nature of the Singapore government, and the different legal rules with respect to press freedom in Singapore as compared to countries such as the United States. There is also flexibility in Singapore’s defamation laws – they just have different boundaries from the defamation laws in other jurisdictions. The government makes use of these legal rules to restrict unfavourable reporting.
It is not my intent to attack the Singapore judiciary or to undermine public confidence in the administration of justice. Any criticism I made is of the Singapore government’s litigious nature, and its use of legal rules and actions to stifle the free press. However, to avoid any misunderstanding of my original private post, I have amended the post so as to clarify my meaning.
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PM Lee’s Nephew Supports Pink Dot
And The Event Reached Max Capacity
Thousands of Singaporeans flocked to Hong Lim Park on Saturday (July 1), as the much-anticipated Pink Dot was held after overcoming many obstacles.
Among them: Foreign sponsorship was banned, which led to local companies filling in the gap; foreigners were banned entirely, leading to barricades being erected around the park; and people complained over even the event’s ad at Orchard Cineleisure.
In happier news, however, Paralympian Theresa Goh came out and became a Pink Dot ambassador. Here she is at the event,
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The famiLEE tree
PM Lee’s Nephew Supports Pink Dot
The famiLEE feud: PM Lee "I'm not sure that it is solved"
The famiLEE feud: AGC to start legal action on Li Shengwu for contempt
The famiLEE feud: AGC looking into FB post by Lee Hsien Yang's son
The famiLEE feud: Protest at Hong Lim Park
The famiLEE feud: Demolish the house, end the saga, let's move on
The famiLEE feud: LWL, LHY to stop presenting online evidence
The famiLEE feud: Lee Hsien Yang responds to Parliament Hearing
The famiLEE feud: Parliamentary Hearing on Oxley's Dispute
The famiLEE feud: PM Lee Hsien Loong's Ministerial Statement
The famiLEE feud: Why LHY is speaking up
The famiLEE feud: July 3 Parliament session a cover-up & whitewash?
The famiLEE feud: Not another minister on the Will again!
The famiLEE feud: Lee Hsien Yang & his wife in Hong Kong
The famiLEE feud: Rise of the 'First Lady'
The famiLEE feud: Govt 'Poking Nose' into Oxley's fate
The famiLEE feud: Will House Debate clear the air?
The famiLEE feud: PM apologises for family feud
The famiLEE feud: Sporeans sick tired of endless Oxley Rd allegations
The famiLEE feud: "Past three days"
The famiLEE feud: "Will of Wills"
PM Lee’s Nephew Supports Pink Dot
The famiLEE feud: PM Lee "I'm not sure that it is solved"
The famiLEE feud: AGC to start legal action on Li Shengwu for contempt
The famiLEE feud: AGC looking into FB post by Lee Hsien Yang's son
The famiLEE feud: Protest at Hong Lim Park
The famiLEE feud: Demolish the house, end the saga, let's move on
The famiLEE feud: LWL, LHY to stop presenting online evidence
The famiLEE feud: Lee Hsien Yang responds to Parliament Hearing
The famiLEE feud: Parliamentary Hearing on Oxley's Dispute
The famiLEE feud: PM Lee Hsien Loong's Ministerial Statement
The famiLEE feud: Why LHY is speaking up
The famiLEE feud: July 3 Parliament session a cover-up & whitewash?
The famiLEE feud: Not another minister on the Will again!
The famiLEE feud: Lee Hsien Yang & his wife in Hong Kong
The famiLEE feud: Rise of the 'First Lady'
The famiLEE feud: Govt 'Poking Nose' into Oxley's fate
The famiLEE feud: Will House Debate clear the air?
The famiLEE feud: PM apologises for family feud
The famiLEE feud: Sporeans sick tired of endless Oxley Rd allegations
The famiLEE feud: "Past three days"
The famiLEE feud: "Will of Wills"
Social Media on the Late LKY’s children Online Squabble
Online squabble about "Hero-Worship" of the late Lee Kuan Yew
Family feud over how to mark LKY's death spills out online
New Law to Protect Lee Kuan Yew's Name and Image
Govt rebuts Lawyer's comments on QFLP scheme
Li Hongyi & Li Shengwu: 2 latest Internet sensation from the Lee family
Remembering Lee Kuan Yew 2016
LKY Passing: Good Intentions Gone Wrong
PM broke down in Parliament talking about his Dad
A State Funeral Service held for Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Former PM Lee Kuan Yew in the limelight
Lee Kuan Yew passes away on 23 Mar 2015
Lee Kuan Yew – The Man and his Legacy
Lee Kuan Yew in ICU with severe pneumonia
The Battle For Merger
Happy 91st Birthday Lee Kuan Yew from Singapore!
Singapore's Founding Father Hospitalised
Lee Kuan Yew turns 90
Lee Kuan Yew hospitalised: Suspected Transient Ischaemic Attack
Lee & Lee - The job has changed
"One World's View Of The Man"
Lee Kuan Yew on death: I want mine quickly, painlessly
A Post-LKY Singapore?
Online squabble about "Hero-Worship" of the late Lee Kuan Yew
Family feud over how to mark LKY's death spills out online
New Law to Protect Lee Kuan Yew's Name and Image
Govt rebuts Lawyer's comments on QFLP scheme
Li Hongyi & Li Shengwu: 2 latest Internet sensation from the Lee family
Remembering Lee Kuan Yew 2016
LKY Passing: Good Intentions Gone Wrong
PM broke down in Parliament talking about his Dad
A State Funeral Service held for Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Former PM Lee Kuan Yew in the limelight
Lee Kuan Yew passes away on 23 Mar 2015
Lee Kuan Yew – The Man and his Legacy
Lee Kuan Yew in ICU with severe pneumonia
The Battle For Merger
Happy 91st Birthday Lee Kuan Yew from Singapore!
Singapore's Founding Father Hospitalised
Lee Kuan Yew turns 90
Lee Kuan Yew hospitalised: Suspected Transient Ischaemic Attack
Lee & Lee - The job has changed
"One World's View Of The Man"
Lee Kuan Yew on death: I want mine quickly, painlessly
A Post-LKY Singapore?
