Lee Kuan Yew's Wills - Revision history

SGPolitico at 06:00, 17 July 2026

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	== Contemporaneous correspondence, 2010–2013 ==		== Contemporaneous correspondence, 2010–2013 ==
	[[File:6 September 2012 LKY email to Kwa Kim Li.png\|thumb\|Lee Kuan Yew's email to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten note by Kwa)]]		[[File:6 September 2012 LKY email to Kwa Kim Li.png\|thumb\|Lee Kuan Yew's email to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten note by Kwa)]]
	Much of what is publicly known about the sequence of events comes from family email correspondence disclosed years later in litigation — principally in the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings and in ''[[Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen]]'', where Xu, as a defendant relying on a defence of justification, adduced a chronology of emails obtained from Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, and Lee Hsien Loong separately gave his own account in evidence. The two accounts of what the correspondence shows differ; both are set out below, with the High Court's eventual findings on the disputed points noted where relevant.'''What is not disputed.''' The High Court in ''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen'' recorded that "[p]arties do not dispute that around September 2012 at the very latest, [Lee Kuan Yew] had been under a misimpression that the House had been gazetted," citing a 6 September 2012 email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li stating: "Although [the House] has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner."<ref name="sghc206">''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen and another suit'' [2021] SGHC 206, at [4].</ref> What the parties disputed was ''why'' and ''by whom'' that impression had been created, and whether it was Lee Hsien Loong who caused it.		Much of what is publicly known about the sequence of events comes from family email correspondence disclosed years later in litigation — principally in the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings and in ''[[Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen]]'', where Xu, as a defendant relying on a defence of justification, adduced a chronology of emails obtained from Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, and Lee Hsien Loong separately gave his own account in evidence. The two accounts of what the correspondence shows differ; both are set out below, with the High Court's eventual findings on the disputed points noted where relevant.

			'''What is not disputed.''' The High Court in ''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen'' recorded that "[p]arties do not dispute that around September 2012 at the very latest, [Lee Kuan Yew] had been under a misimpression that the House had been gazetted," citing a 6 September 2012 email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li stating: "Although [the House] has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner."<ref name="sghc206">''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen and another suit'' [2021] SGHC 206, at [4].</ref>

			What the parties disputed was ''why'' and ''by whom'' that impression had been created, and whether it was Lee Hsien Loong who caused it.

	'''Xu's pleaded chronology''' (drawn from his Affidavit of Evidence-in-Chief, exhibits TX-15 to TX-34) set out the following sequence:		'''Xu's pleaded chronology''' (drawn from his Affidavit of Evidence-in-Chief, exhibits TX-15 to TX-34) set out the following sequence:

SGPolitico at 17:04, 15 July 2026

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	Xu's account also drew on a 29 July 2011 email from Lee Wei Ling to then-Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, describing Lee Kuan Yew's belief that Lee Hsien Loong had asked him to speak to Cabinet so that Cabinet could tell him it wanted the House preserved, and recording that Lee Kuan Yew planned to meet Shanmugam together with Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling to decide how to draft the will provisions on the House.<ref name="txaeic" /> This episode does not appear to have been separately adjudicated.		Xu's account also drew on a 29 July 2011 email from Lee Wei Ling to then-Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, describing Lee Kuan Yew's belief that Lee Hsien Loong had asked him to speak to Cabinet so that Cabinet could tell him it wanted the House preserved, and recording that Lee Kuan Yew planned to meet Shanmugam together with Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling to decide how to draft the will provisions on the House.<ref name="txaeic" /> This episode does not appear to have been separately adjudicated.

			== Sale of the house within the family (2015) ==
			After inheriting the house under Lee Kuan Yew's will, Lee Hsien Loong first offered to sell it to Lee Wei Ling for a nominal S$1, on condition that any future sale proceeds, if the Government later acquired the property, be donated to charity; she declined. Lee Hsien Yang then purchased the house from his brother at market valuation, on the agreed condition that each of them would donate half the sale value to charity; Lee Hsien Loong later said he donated the entirety of his own share. Lee Wei Ling later disputed the accuracy of her brother's public statements about the terms of this arrangement.

	== The dispute becomes public (2017) ==		== The dispute becomes public (2017) ==

SGPolitico at 08:23, 15 July 2026

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SGPolitico at 08:15, 15 July 2026

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	After the Sixth Will was executed in November 2012, Lee Kuan Yew's health deteriorated markedly; he was hospitalised for an extended period between September and October 2013. Beginning around 29 November 2013, he discussed possible changes to the Sixth Will with Kwa Kim Li, recorded in a series of emails.		After the Sixth Will was executed in November 2012, Lee Kuan Yew's health deteriorated markedly; he was hospitalised for an extended period between September and October 2013. Beginning around 29 November 2013, he discussed possible changes to the Sixth Will with Kwa Kim Li, recorded in a series of emails.

	The full text of Kwa Kim Li's email of '''30 November 2013''' — addressed to Lee Kuan Yew as "Dear Uncle Harry" — survives and sets out the discussion in detail. She first recapped the Sixth Will's distribution (38 Oxley Road to Lee Hsien Loong, other properties to Lee Hsien Yang, a valuation clause to equalise the shares in cash).		The full text of Kwa Kim Li's email of '''30 November 2013''' <ref>https://media.politicalsg.com/media/Kwa_email_to_LKY_2013.pdf</ref>— addressed to Lee Kuan Yew as "Dear Uncle Harry" — survives and sets out the discussion in detail. She first recapped the Sixth Will's distribution (38 Oxley Road to Lee Hsien Loong, other properties to Lee Hsien Yang, a valuation clause to equalise the shares in cash).

	She then recorded that Lee Kuan Yew had raised, in a discussion the previous night, "the possibility that Oxley may one day be 'de-gazetted' after your passing," which would cause the property's value to "escalate" — and that his "sentiment is that if there is de-gazetting after your passing, and the property value escalates, then you would like Ling and Yang to benefit from the increased value, as this would only be fair," since the House would otherwise remain solely in Lee Hsien Loong's name at the higher value.<ref name="kwa30nov">Email from Kwa Kim Li to Lee Kuan Yew, "your question on the properties in your name," 30 November 2013.</ref>		She then recorded that Lee Kuan Yew had raised, in a discussion the previous night, "the possibility that Oxley may one day be 'de-gazetted' after your passing," which would cause the property's value to "escalate" — and that his "sentiment is that if there is de-gazetting after your passing, and the property value escalates, then you would like Ling and Yang to benefit from the increased value, as this would only be fair," since the House would otherwise remain solely in Lee Hsien Loong's name at the higher value.<ref name="kwa30nov">Email from Kwa Kim Li to Lee Kuan Yew, "your question on the properties in your name," 30 November 2013.</ref>

SGPolitico at 08:10, 15 July 2026

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SGPolitico at 08:00, 15 July 2026

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Show changes

SGPolitico at 07:44, 15 July 2026

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	'''Lee Kuan Yew's wills''' refers to the series of six wills — referred to as the '''First Will''' to '''Sixth Will''' — and one final "Last Will," executed by founding Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]] between 20 August 2011 and 17 December 2013, and the subsequent public and legal dispute over the circumstances in which the final version was prepared and signed.		'''Lee Kuan Yew's wills''' refers to the series of six wills — referred to as the '''First Will''' to '''Sixth Will''' — and one final "Last Will," executed by founding Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]] between 20 August 2011 and 17 December 2013, and the subsequent public and legal dispute over the circumstances in which the final version was prepared and signed.
			[[File:Last Will of LKY.png\|thumb\|Last will signed by Lee Kuan Yew on 17 December 2013]]
	This series followed an earlier, separate will Lee Kuan Yew had made in 1995 (see "The 1995 Will" below); "First Will" refers to the first of the 2011–2013 series, not the first will he ever made. The central point of contention is a clause, referred to in court proceedings as the "Demolition Clause," which appeared in some versions of the will and not others, and which stipulated Lee Kuan Yew's wish that his house at [[38 Oxley Road]] be demolished after his death.		This series followed an earlier, separate will Lee Kuan Yew had made in 1995 (see "The 1995 Will" below); "First Will" refers to the first of the 2011–2013 series, not the first will he ever made. The central point of contention is a clause, referred to in court proceedings as the "Demolition Clause," which appeared in some versions of the will and not others, and which stipulated Lee Kuan Yew's wish that his house at [[38 Oxley Road]] be demolished after his death.

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	<blockquote>In 2015, various letters were sent by Hsien Loong's then personal lawyer making accusations and misrepresentations on his behalf regarding the circumstances under which Lee Kuan Yew's last will was executed and the inclusion of the demolition wish. These were refuted in detail by us through our lawyers. Hsien Loong knew that he could not establish his accusations in a court of law and raised no legal challenge. On the contrary, he was likely concerned that the fact that the gift of the house to him had been obtained by him through misrepresentations to our father and the family might be made public. Probate was granted on 6 October 2015 and Lee Kuan Yew's will, including the wish to demolish 38 Oxley Road, became the full, final, and legally binding word on his intentions as to his estate.<ref name="junestatement">Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, joint statement "What has happened to Lee Kuan Yew's values?", 14 June 2017.</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>In 2015, various letters were sent by Hsien Loong's then personal lawyer making accusations and misrepresentations on his behalf regarding the circumstances under which Lee Kuan Yew's last will was executed and the inclusion of the demolition wish. These were refuted in detail by us through our lawyers. Hsien Loong knew that he could not establish his accusations in a court of law and raised no legal challenge. On the contrary, he was likely concerned that the fact that the gift of the house to him had been obtained by him through misrepresentations to our father and the family might be made public. Probate was granted on 6 October 2015 and Lee Kuan Yew's will, including the wish to demolish 38 Oxley Road, became the full, final, and legally binding word on his intentions as to his estate.<ref name="junestatement">Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, joint statement "What has happened to Lee Kuan Yew's values?", 14 June 2017.</ref></blockquote>
			[[File:Demolish clause.png\|center\|frame\|Demolition clause of 38 Oxley Road inserted in Lee Kuan Yew's last will.]]

	The Last Will was accordingly admitted to probate on '''6 October 2015''' — a date not contested by any party in the subsequent disputes.<ref name="junestatement"/> Probate confirms that the document was accepted by the court as Lee Kuan Yew's valid last will and testament for the purposes of administering his estate; it is a separate question from whether any solicitor involved in preparing it met their professional obligations, which is what the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings later examined (see below).		The Last Will was accordingly admitted to probate on '''6 October 2015''' — a date not contested by any party in the subsequent disputes.<ref name="junestatement"/> Probate confirms that the document was accepted by the court as Lee Kuan Yew's valid last will and testament for the purposes of administering his estate; it is a separate question from whether any solicitor involved in preparing it met their professional obligations, which is what the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings later examined (see below).

SGPolitico at 07:38, 15 July 2026

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	* '''6 September 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew's email to Kwa Kim Li stating the House "has been gazetted as a Heritage house" (see above).		* '''6 September 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew's email to Kwa Kim Li stating the House "has been gazetted as a Heritage house" (see above).
	* '''Around 1 October and 16 October 2012''' — Kwa Kim Li told Lee Kuan Yew, in handwritten notes on his emails, that she could find no record that the House had in fact been gazetted; around the same time Lee Kuan Yew instructed her to prepare the Fifth Will, removing the Demolition Clause and giving Lee Hsien Loong "free reign" over the property so that he would take the "hit and the heat" — the "hit" being the reduced property value from the (believed) gazetting, and the "heat" being Cabinet pressure.		* '''Around 1 October and 16 October 2012''' — Kwa Kim Li told Lee Kuan Yew, in handwritten notes on his emails, that she could find no record that the House had in fact been gazetted; around the same time Lee Kuan Yew instructed her to prepare the Fifth Will, removing the Demolition Clause and giving Lee Hsien Loong "free reign" over the property so that he would take the "hit and the heat" — the "hit" being the reduced property value from the (believed) gazetting, and the "heat" being Cabinet pressure.
	* '''30 November 2013''' — an email in which Lee Kuan Yew, discussing possible changes with Kwa Kim Li, raised the possibility the House might one day be "de-gazetted," suggesting he still believed at that point that it had been gazetted.		* '''30 November 2013''' — [https://media.politicalsg.com/media/Kwa_email_to_LKY_2013.pdf an email] in which Lee Kuan Yew, discussing possible changes with Kwa Kim Li, raised the possibility the House might one day be "de-gazetted," suggesting he still believed at that point that it had been gazetted.
	* '''17 December 2013''' — the Last Will, reinstating the Demolition Clause, was signed.		* '''17 December 2013''' — the Last Will, reinstating the Demolition Clause, was signed.

	On this basis, Xu's pleaded case was that only Lee Hsien Loong, as Prime Minister, could have been the source of Lee Kuan Yew's mistaken belief that the House had been or would be gazetted, since Kwa Kim Li had told him the opposite on at least two occasions.<ref name="txaeic">Affidavit of Evidence-in-Chief of Xu Yuan Chen, ''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen'', HC/S 882/2019, affirmed November 2020, at [34](k), exhibit "TX-23".</ref>		On this basis, Xu's pleaded case was that only Lee Hsien Loong, as Prime Minister, could have been the source of Lee Kuan Yew's mistaken belief that the House had been or would be gazetted, since Kwa Kim Li had told him the opposite on at least two occasions.<ref name="txaeic">Affidavit of Evidence-in-Chief of Xu Yuan Chen, ''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen'', HC/S 882/2019, affirmed November 2020, at [34](k), exhibit "TX-23".</ref>

SGPolitico at 07:32, 15 July 2026

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	== Contemporaneous correspondence, 2010–2013 ==		== Contemporaneous correspondence, 2010–2013 ==
			[[File:6 September 2012 LKY email to Kwa Kim Li.png\|thumb\|Lee Kuan Yew's email to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten note by Kwa)]]
	Much of what is publicly known about the sequence of events comes from family email correspondence disclosed years later in litigation — principally in the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings and in ''[[Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen]]'', where Xu, as a defendant relying on a defence of justification, adduced a chronology of emails obtained from Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, and Lee Hsien Loong separately gave his own account in evidence. The two accounts of what the correspondence shows differ; both are set out below, with the High Court's eventual findings on the disputed points noted where relevant.		Much of what is publicly known about the sequence of events comes from family email correspondence disclosed years later in litigation — principally in the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings and in ''[[Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen]]'', where Xu, as a defendant relying on a defence of justification, adduced a chronology of emails obtained from Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, and Lee Hsien Loong separately gave his own account in evidence. The two accounts of what the correspondence shows differ; both are set out below, with the High Court's eventual findings on the disputed points noted where relevant.

SGPolitico at 07:23, 15 July 2026

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	== Background ==		== Background ==
	Lee Kuan Yew had an earlier will dating from 7 December 1995 (see "The 1995 Will" below). His wife, Kwa Geok Choo, died in October 2010. Following her death, Lee Kuan Yew began revising his testamentary arrangements, executing a series of six further wills between August 2011 and November 2012 — referred to on this page, and in most of the subsequent litigation, as the '''First Will''' (20 August 2011) through '''Sixth Will''' (2 November 2012); "First" here means the first of this post-2010 series, not the first will Lee Kuan Yew ever made. Each of these six was prepared by his regular solicitor and niece, Kwa Kim Li, a partner at Lee & Lee. A final will, prepared with the involvement of his daughter-in-law, Lee Suet Fern (Lee Hsien Yang's wife, then a senior lawyer at Morgan Lewis Stamford), was signed on 17 December 2013, roughly 15 months before his death on 23 March 2015.		Lee Kuan Yew had an earlier will dating from 7 December 1995 (see "The 1995 Will" below). His wife, Kwa Geok Choo, died in October 2010.

			Following her death, Lee Kuan Yew began revising his testamentary arrangements, executing a series of six further wills between August 2011 and November 2012 — referred to on this page, and in most of the subsequent litigation, as the '''First Will''' (20 August 2011) through '''Sixth Will''' (2 November 2012); "First" here means the first of this post-2010 series, not the first will Lee Kuan Yew ever made.

			Each of these six was prepared by his regular solicitor and niece, Kwa Kim Li, a partner at Lee & Lee. A final will, prepared with the involvement of his daughter-in-law, Lee Suet Fern (Lee Hsien Yang's wife, then a senior lawyer at Morgan Lewis Stamford), was signed on 17 December 2013, roughly 15 months before his death on 23 March 2015.

	== The 1995 Will ==		== The 1995 Will ==
	Lee Kuan Yew's will of 7 December 1995 named four executors and trustees: his three children — Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang — '''and his daughter-in-law, Ho Ching''' (Lee Hsien Loong's wife). Its residuary estate provisions held the property on trust for his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, for her life, with the estate passing to the three children in equal shares only after her death; it made no mention of 38 Oxley Road specifically and contained no demolition wish, reflecting that it predated both the family's later disputes over the House and Kwa Geok Choo's death in 2010.<ref name="1995will">''Last Will of Lee Kuan Yew'', executed 7 December 1995, cll 1, 4.</ref>		Lee Kuan Yew's will of 7 December 1995 named four executors and trustees: his three children — Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang — '''and his daughter-in-law, Ho Ching''' (Lee Hsien Loong's wife). Its residuary estate provisions held the property on trust for his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, for her life, with the estate passing to the three children in equal shares only after her death; it made no mention of 38 Oxley Road specifically and contained no demolition wish, reflecting that it predated both the family's later disputes over the House and Kwa Geok Choo's death in 2010.<ref name="1995will">''Last Will of Lee Kuan Yew'', executed 7 December 1995, cll 1, 4.</ref>

	'''Lee Hsien Loong and Ho Ching were not retained as executors in any of the wills that followed.''' From the First Will (20 August 2011) onward, only Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang were named executors and trustees; Lee Hsien Loong and Ho Ching do not appear in that role in any will after 1995. Lee Kuan Yew's stated reason, in an email to Lee Hsien Loong on 23 July 2011, was that there "could be contention over 38 Oxley Rd."<ref name="txaeic"/> This removal is separate from, and predates, the later dispute over the Demolition Clause's presence or absence in individual wills.		'''Lee Hsien Loong and Ho Ching were not retained as executors in any of the wills that followed.''' From the First Will (20 August 2011) onward, only Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang were named executors and trustees; Lee Hsien Loong and Ho Ching do not appear in that role in any will after 1995.

			Lee Kuan Yew's stated reason, in an email to Lee Hsien Loong on 23 July 2011, was that there "could be contention over 38 Oxley Rd."<ref name="txaeic" /> This removal is separate from, and predates, the later dispute over the Demolition Clause's presence or absence in individual wills.

	== The First to Sixth Wills (2011–2012) ==		== The First to Sixth Wills (2011–2012) ==

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	* Clause 7 restored the Demolition Clause: "I further declare that it is my wish, and the wish of my late wife, [Kwa Geok Choo], that our house at 38 Oxley Road … ('the House') be demolished immediately after my death or, if my daughter, [Lee Wei Ling], would prefer to continue living in the original house, immediately after she moves out of the House. I would ask each of my children to ensure our wishes with respect to the demolition of the House be carried out. If our children are unable to demolish the House as a result of any changes in the law, rules or regulations binding them, it is my wish that the House never be opened to others except my children, their families and descendants. My view on this has been made public before and remains unchanged."		* Clause 7 restored the Demolition Clause: "I further declare that it is my wish, and the wish of my late wife, [Kwa Geok Choo], that our house at 38 Oxley Road … ('the House') be demolished immediately after my death or, if my daughter, [Lee Wei Ling], would prefer to continue living in the original house, immediately after she moves out of the House. I would ask each of my children to ensure our wishes with respect to the demolition of the House be carried out. If our children are unable to demolish the House as a result of any changes in the law, rules or regulations binding them, it is my wish that the House never be opened to others except my children, their families and descendants. My view on this has been made public before and remains unchanged."

	Comparing the Last Will against the First Will, the disciplinary tribunal and the Court of Three Judges found there were "significant" differences between the two documents, even though Lee Kuan Yew had been told, and appears to have believed, that he was simply reverting to the 2011 original.<ref name="sghc255"/>		Comparing the Last Will against the First Will, the disciplinary tribunal and the Court of Three Judges found there were "significant" differences between the two documents, even though Lee Kuan Yew had been told, and appears to have believed, that he was simply reverting to the 2011 original.<ref name="sghc255"/>[[File:Demolish clause.png\|center\|frame\|Demolition clause of 38 Oxley Road inserted in Lee Kuan Yew's last will.]]

	== Contemporaneous correspondence, 2010–2013 ==		== Contemporaneous correspondence, 2010–2013 ==
	[[File:6 September 2012 LKY email to Kwa Kim Li.png\|thumb\|Lee Kuan Yew's email to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten note by Kwa)]]		[[File:6 September 2012 LKY email to Kwa Kim Li.png\|thumb\|Lee Kuan Yew's email to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten note by Kwa)]]
	Much of what is publicly known about the sequence of events comes from family email correspondence disclosed years later in litigation — principally in the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings and in ''[[Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen]]'', where Xu, as a defendant relying on a defence of justification, adduced a chronology of emails obtained from Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, and Lee Hsien Loong separately gave his own account in evidence. The two accounts of what the correspondence shows differ; both are set out below, with the High Court's eventual findings on the disputed points noted where relevant.		Much of what is publicly known about the sequence of events comes from family email correspondence disclosed years later in litigation — principally in the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings and in ''[[Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen]]'', where Xu, as a defendant relying on a defence of justification, adduced a chronology of emails obtained from Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, and Lee Hsien Loong separately gave his own account in evidence. The two accounts of what the correspondence shows differ; both are set out below, with the High Court's eventual findings on the disputed points noted where relevant.'''What is not disputed.''' The High Court in ''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen'' recorded that "[p]arties do not dispute that around September 2012 at the very latest, [Lee Kuan Yew] had been under a misimpression that the House had been gazetted," citing a 6 September 2012 email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li stating: "Although [the House] has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner."<ref name="sghc206">''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen and another suit'' [2021] SGHC 206, at [4].</ref> What the parties disputed was ''why'' and ''by whom'' that impression had been created, and whether it was Lee Hsien Loong who caused it.

	'''What is not disputed.''' The High Court in ''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen'' recorded that "[p]arties do not dispute that around September 2012 at the very latest, [Lee Kuan Yew] had been under a misimpression that the House had been gazetted," citing a 6 September 2012 email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li stating: "Although [the House] has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner."<ref name="sghc206">''Lee Hsien Loong v Xu Yuan Chen and another suit'' [2021] SGHC 206, at [4].</ref> What the parties disputed was ''why'' and ''by whom'' that impression had been created, and whether it was Lee Hsien Loong who caused it.

	'''Xu's pleaded chronology''' (drawn from his Affidavit of Evidence-in-Chief, exhibits TX-15 to TX-34) set out the following sequence:		'''Xu's pleaded chronology''' (drawn from his Affidavit of Evidence-in-Chief, exhibits TX-15 to TX-34) set out the following sequence:
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	* '''3 October 2011''' — Lee Kuan Yew wrote to Ho Ching (copying his children) that Lee Hsien Loong had indicated he would, as Prime Minister, declare the House a heritage site.		* '''3 October 2011''' — Lee Kuan Yew wrote to Ho Ching (copying his children) that Lee Hsien Loong had indicated he would, as Prime Minister, declare the House a heritage site.
	* '''27 December 2011''' — Lee Kuan Yew wrote to Cabinet that its members were unanimously against demolition.		* '''27 December 2011''' — Lee Kuan Yew wrote to Cabinet that its members were unanimously against demolition.
	* '''6 September 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew emailed Kwa Kim Li and Lee Wei Ling (subject line "Osley," sic), stating: "Although it has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner. But I cannot alter the basic structure of the house. And the cabinet has opposed tearing it down and rebuilding, because 2 PMs have lived in the house, me and Loong. But the house is still mine and I can in my will give Ling the right to stay on in the house." Kwa Kim Li added a handwritten note on the email — "I can't find gazette. Told him." — which she confirmed under cross-examination in the ''Xu Yuan Chen'' trial referred to Lee Kuan Yew.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>		* '''6 September 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew emailed Kwa Kim Li and Lee Wei Ling (subject line "Osley," sic), stating: "Although it has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner. But I cannot alter the basic structure of the house. And the cabinet has opposed tearing it down and rebuilding, because 2 PMs have lived in the house, me and Loong. But the house is still mine and I can in my will give Ling the right to stay on in the house." Kwa Kim Li added a handwritten note on the email — "I can't find gazette. Told him." — which she confirmed under cross-examination in the ''Xu Yuan Chen'' trial referred to Lee Kuan Yew.<ref name="toc2020trial" />
	* '''2 October 2012''' — a further email from Kwa Kim Li to Lee Kuan Yew, on which she made handwritten notes reading "Lee Hsien Loong has free rein" and "He can handle Cabinet." Under cross-examination, Kwa Kim Li confirmed both notes referred to Lee Hsien Loong, though she initially declined to answer on grounds of privilege before the trial judge, Audrey Lim J, directed her to.<ref name="toc2020trial"/> Kwa Kim Li testified she searched for a record of the gazetting on at least two separate occasions — once via her firm's librarian around 6 September 2012, and again via a colleague "perhaps a few days after" — and could not recall whether either search preceded or followed the 6 September email.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>		* '''2 October 2012''' — a further email from Kwa Kim Li to Lee Kuan Yew, on which she made handwritten notes reading "Lee Hsien Loong has free rein" and "He can handle Cabinet." Under cross-examination, Kwa Kim Li confirmed both notes referred to Lee Hsien Loong, though she initially declined to answer on grounds of privilege before the trial judge, Audrey Lim J, directed her to.<ref name="toc2020trial" /> Kwa Kim Li testified she searched for a record of the gazetting on at least two separate occasions — once via her firm's librarian around 6 September 2012, and again via a colleague "perhaps a few days after" — and could not recall whether either search preceded or followed the 6 September email.<ref name="toc2020trial" />
	* '''16 October 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew emailed Kwa Kim Li setting out his revised thinking on the share division (see the Sixth Will row above); on the same email, Kwa Kim Li wrote "I can't find Oxley gazette," which she confirmed in court meant she could not find any document showing the House had been gazetted. Around this period Lee Kuan Yew instructed her to prepare the Fifth Will, removing the Demolition Clause and giving Lee Hsien Loong "free reign" over the property so that he would take the "hit and the heat" — the "hit" being the reduced property value from the (believed) gazetting, and the "heat" being Cabinet pressure.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>		* '''16 October 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew emailed Kwa Kim Li setting out his revised thinking on the share division (see the Sixth Will row above); on the same email, Kwa Kim Li wrote "I can't find Oxley gazette," which she confirmed in court meant she could not find any document showing the House had been gazetted. Around this period Lee Kuan Yew instructed her to prepare the Fifth Will, removing the Demolition Clause and giving Lee Hsien Loong "free reign" over the property so that he would take the "hit and the heat" — the "hit" being the reduced property value from the (believed) gazetting, and the "heat" being Cabinet pressure.<ref name="toc2020trial" />[[File:Oct 2012 email from Kwa Kim Li to LKY.png\|center\|frame\|Email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten notes from Kwa)]]
	[[File:Oct 2012 email from Kwa Kim Li to LKY.png\|center\|frame\|Email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten notes from Kwa)]]
	* '''30 November 2013''' — Kwa Kim Li's email to Lee Kuan Yew (see "Deteriorating health and discussions with Kwa Kim Li" above) in which she recorded his wish that Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang share in any increase in the House's value if it were later "de-gazetted," and set out options for achieving this, including giving the House to all three children equally.<ref name="kwa30nov"/>		* '''30 November 2013''' — Kwa Kim Li's email to Lee Kuan Yew (see "Deteriorating health and discussions with Kwa Kim Li" above) in which she recorded his wish that Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang share in any increase in the House's value if it were later "de-gazetted," and set out options for achieving this, including giving the House to all three children equally.<ref name="kwa30nov" />
	* '''17 December 2013''' — the Last Will, reinstating the Demolition Clause, was signed.		* '''17 December 2013''' — the Last Will, reinstating the Demolition Clause, was signed.

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	The court also found no evidence that Lee Kuan Yew was told in "late 2013" that the House had not been gazetted (an allegation in the article at the centre of that suit); the correction, to the extent one occurred, was Kwa Kim Li's advice given in 2012.<ref name="sghc206" />		The court also found no evidence that Lee Kuan Yew was told in "late 2013" that the House had not been gazetted (an allegation in the article at the centre of that suit); the correction, to the extent one occurred, was Kwa Kim Li's advice given in 2012.<ref name="sghc206" />

	Xu's account also drew on a 29 July 2011 email from Lee Wei Ling to then-Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, describing Lee Kuan Yew's belief that Lee Hsien Loong had asked him to speak to Cabinet so that Cabinet could tell him it wanted the House preserved, and recording that Lee Kuan Yew planned to meet Shanmugam together with Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling to decide how to draft the will provisions on the House.<ref name="txaeic"/> This episode does not appear to have been separately adjudicated.		Xu's account also drew on a 29 July 2011 email from Lee Wei Ling to then-Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, describing Lee Kuan Yew's belief that Lee Hsien Loong had asked him to speak to Cabinet so that Cabinet could tell him it wanted the House preserved, and recording that Lee Kuan Yew planned to meet Shanmugam together with Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling to decide how to draft the will provisions on the House.<ref name="txaeic" /> This episode does not appear to have been separately adjudicated.

	== The dispute becomes public (2017) ==		== The dispute becomes public (2017) ==
Line 147:		Line 145:
	In the same 14 June 2017 statement, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling addressed the Last Will directly, asserting that it reflected their father's — and their late mother's — genuine and consistent wish that the House be demolished, and that this had been settled by probate:		In the same 14 June 2017 statement, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling addressed the Last Will directly, asserting that it reflected their father's — and their late mother's — genuine and consistent wish that the House be demolished, and that this had been settled by probate:

	<blockquote>In 2015, various letters were sent by Hsien Loong's then personal lawyer making accusations and misrepresentations on his behalf regarding the circumstances under which Lee Kuan Yew's last will was executed and the inclusion of the demolition wish. These were refuted in detail by us through our lawyers. Hsien Loong knew that he could not establish his accusations in a court of law and raised no legal challenge. On the contrary, he was likely concerned that the fact that the gift of the house to him had been obtained by him through misrepresentations to our father and the family might be made public. Probate was granted on 6 October 2015 and Lee Kuan Yew's will, including the wish to demolish 38 Oxley Road, became the full, final, and legally binding word on his intentions as to his estate.<ref name="junestatement">Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, joint statement "What has happened to Lee Kuan Yew's values?", 14 June 2017.</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>In 2015, various letters were sent by Hsien Loong's then personal lawyer making accusations and misrepresentations on his behalf regarding the circumstances under which Lee Kuan Yew's last will was executed and the inclusion of the demolition wish. These were refuted in detail by us through our lawyers. Hsien Loong knew that he could not establish his accusations in a court of law and raised no legal challenge. On the contrary, he was likely concerned that the fact that the gift of the house to him had been obtained by him through misrepresentations to our father and the family might be made public. Probate was granted on 6 October 2015 and Lee Kuan Yew's will, including the wish to demolish 38 Oxley Road, became the full, final, and legally binding word on his intentions as to his estate.<ref name="junestatement">Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, joint statement "What has happened to Lee Kuan Yew's values?", 14 June 2017.</ref></blockquote>The Last Will was accordingly admitted to probate on '''6 October 2015''' — a date not contested by any party in the subsequent disputes.<ref name="junestatement"/> Probate confirms that the document was accepted by the court as Lee Kuan Yew's valid last will and testament for the purposes of administering his estate; it is a separate question from whether any solicitor involved in preparing it met their professional obligations, which is what the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings later examined (see below).
	~~[[File:Demolish clause.png\|center\|frame\|Demolition clause of 38 Oxley Road inserted in Lee Kuan Yew's last will.]]~~

	The Last Will was accordingly admitted to probate on '''6 October 2015''' — a date not contested by any party in the subsequent disputes.<ref name="junestatement"/> Probate confirms that the document was accepted by the court as Lee Kuan Yew's valid last will and testament for the purposes of administering his estate; it is a separate question from whether any solicitor involved in preparing it met their professional obligations, which is what the Lee Suet Fern disciplinary proceedings later examined (see below).

	Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling have consistently maintained, both in the June 2017 statement and in subsequent public statements, that the Demolition Clause reflected their father's and their late mother Kwa Geok Choo's genuine and settled wishes, and that no party — including Lee Hsien Loong — ever mounted a legal challenge to the will or the Demolition Clause's validity.		Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling have consistently maintained, both in the June 2017 statement and in subsequent public statements, that the Demolition Clause reflected their father's and their late mother Kwa Geok Choo's genuine and settled wishes, and that no party — including Lee Hsien Loong — ever mounted a legal challenge to the will or the Demolition Clause's validity.

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:10, 15 July 2026
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	\|Seven shares total: Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Hsien Yang two shares each, Lee Wei Ling three shares		\|Seven shares total: Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Hsien Yang two shares each, Lee Wei Ling three shares
	\|'''Absent''' (as in the Fifth Will)		\|'''Absent''' (as in the Fifth Will)
	\|		\|In a 16 October 2012 email to Kwa Kim Li, Lee Kuan Yew explained his reasoning for departing from equal shares: "On reflection, I have decided to give more to Ling. The boys have higher incomes and also wives with big earnings." He initially proposed five shares (three to Lee Wei Ling, one each to Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Hsien Yang); Kwa Kim Li's handwritten note on the same email records this was "subsequently changed to" the 2:3:2 (seven-share) split reflected in the Sixth Will as executed.<ref name="kwa16oct">Email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li, "My Will," 16 October 2012.</ref>
	\|}		\|}

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	After the Sixth Will was executed in November 2012, Lee Kuan Yew's health deteriorated markedly; he was hospitalised for an extended period between September and October 2013. Beginning around 29 November 2013, he discussed possible changes to the Sixth Will with Kwa Kim Li, recorded in a series of emails.		After the Sixth Will was executed in November 2012, Lee Kuan Yew's health deteriorated markedly; he was hospitalised for an extended period between September and October 2013. Beginning around 29 November 2013, he discussed possible changes to the Sixth Will with Kwa Kim Li, recorded in a series of emails.

	The full text of Kwa Kim Li's email of '''30 November 2013''' — addressed to Lee Kuan Yew as "Dear Uncle Harry" — survives and sets out the discussion in detail. She first recapped the Sixth Will's distribution (38 Oxley Road to Lee Hsien Loong, other properties to Lee Hsien Yang, a valuation clause to equalise the shares in cash).		The full text of Kwa Kim Li's email of '''30 November 2013''' — addressed to Lee Kuan Yew as "Dear Uncle Harry" — survives and sets out the discussion in detail. She first recapped the Sixth Will's distribution (38 Oxley Road to Lee Hsien Loong, other properties to Lee Hsien Yang, a valuation clause to equalise the shares in cash).

	She then recorded that Lee Kuan Yew had raised, in a discussion the previous night, "the possibility that Oxley may one day be 'de-gazetted' after your passing," which would cause the property's value to "escalate" — and that his "sentiment is that if there is de-gazetting after your passing, and the property value escalates, then you would like Ling and Yang to benefit from the increased value, as this would only be fair," since the House would otherwise remain solely in Lee Hsien Loong's name at the higher value.<ref name="kwa30nov">Email from Kwa Kim Li to Lee Kuan Yew, "your question on the properties in your name," 30 November 2013.</ref>		She then recorded that Lee Kuan Yew had raised, in a discussion the previous night, "the possibility that Oxley may one day be 'de-gazetted' after your passing," which would cause the property's value to "escalate" — and that his "sentiment is that if there is de-gazetting after your passing, and the property value escalates, then you would like Ling and Yang to benefit from the increased value, as this would only be fair," since the House would otherwise remain solely in Lee Hsien Loong's name at the higher value.<ref name="kwa30nov">Email from Kwa Kim Li to Lee Kuan Yew, "your question on the properties in your name," 30 November 2013.</ref>
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	* '''6 September 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew emailed Kwa Kim Li and Lee Wei Ling (subject line "Osley," sic), stating: "Although it has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner. But I cannot alter the basic structure of the house. And the cabinet has opposed tearing it down and rebuilding, because 2 PMs have lived in the house, me and Loong. But the house is still mine and I can in my will give Ling the right to stay on in the house." Kwa Kim Li added a handwritten note on the email — "I can't find gazette. Told him." — which she confirmed under cross-examination in the ''Xu Yuan Chen'' trial referred to Lee Kuan Yew.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>		* '''6 September 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew emailed Kwa Kim Li and Lee Wei Ling (subject line "Osley," sic), stating: "Although it has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner. But I cannot alter the basic structure of the house. And the cabinet has opposed tearing it down and rebuilding, because 2 PMs have lived in the house, me and Loong. But the house is still mine and I can in my will give Ling the right to stay on in the house." Kwa Kim Li added a handwritten note on the email — "I can't find gazette. Told him." — which she confirmed under cross-examination in the ''Xu Yuan Chen'' trial referred to Lee Kuan Yew.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>
	* '''2 October 2012''' — a further email from Kwa Kim Li to Lee Kuan Yew, on which she made handwritten notes reading "Lee Hsien Loong has free rein" and "He can handle Cabinet." Under cross-examination, Kwa Kim Li confirmed both notes referred to Lee Hsien Loong, though she initially declined to answer on grounds of privilege before the trial judge, Audrey Lim J, directed her to.<ref name="toc2020trial"/> Kwa Kim Li testified she searched for a record of the gazetting on at least two separate occasions — once via her firm's librarian around 6 September 2012, and again via a colleague "perhaps a few days after" — and could not recall whether either search preceded or followed the 6 September email.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>		* '''2 October 2012''' — a further email from Kwa Kim Li to Lee Kuan Yew, on which she made handwritten notes reading "Lee Hsien Loong has free rein" and "He can handle Cabinet." Under cross-examination, Kwa Kim Li confirmed both notes referred to Lee Hsien Loong, though she initially declined to answer on grounds of privilege before the trial judge, Audrey Lim J, directed her to.<ref name="toc2020trial"/> Kwa Kim Li testified she searched for a record of the gazetting on at least two separate occasions — once via her firm's librarian around 6 September 2012, and again via a colleague "perhaps a few days after" — and could not recall whether either search preceded or followed the 6 September email.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>
	* '''16 October 2012''' — ~~a further email from~~ Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li, ~~on which she~~ wrote "I can't find Oxley gazette," which she confirmed in court meant she could not find any document showing the House had been gazetted~~; around~~ this period Lee Kuan Yew instructed her to prepare the Fifth Will, removing the Demolition Clause and giving Lee Hsien Loong "free reign" over the property so that he would take the "hit and the heat" — the "hit" being the reduced property value from the (believed) gazetting, and the "heat" being Cabinet pressure.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>[[File:Oct 2012 email from Kwa Kim Li to LKY.png\|center\|frame\|Email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten notes from Kwa)]]		* '''16 October 2012''' — Lee Kuan Yew emailed Kwa Kim Li setting out his revised thinking on the share division (see the Sixth Will row above); on the same email, Kwa Kim Li wrote "I can't find Oxley gazette," which she confirmed in court meant she could not find any document showing the House had been gazetted. Around this period Lee Kuan Yew instructed her to prepare the Fifth Will, removing the Demolition Clause and giving Lee Hsien Loong "free reign" over the property so that he would take the "hit and the heat" — the "hit" being the reduced property value from the (believed) gazetting, and the "heat" being Cabinet pressure.<ref name="toc2020trial"/>
			[[File:Oct 2012 email from Kwa Kim Li to LKY.png\|center\|frame\|Email from Lee Kuan Yew to Kwa Kim Li (handwritten notes from Kwa)]]
	* '''30 November 2013''' — Kwa Kim Li's email to Lee Kuan Yew (see "Deteriorating health and discussions with Kwa Kim Li" above) in which she recorded his wish that Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang share in any increase in the House's value if it were later "de-gazetted," and set out options for achieving this, including giving the House to all three children equally.<ref name="kwa30nov"/>		* '''30 November 2013''' — Kwa Kim Li's email to Lee Kuan Yew (see "Deteriorating health and discussions with Kwa Kim Li" above) in which she recorded his wish that Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang share in any increase in the House's value if it were later "de-gazetted," and set out options for achieving this, including giving the House to all three children equally.<ref name="kwa30nov"/>
	* '''17 December 2013''' — the Last Will, reinstating the Demolition Clause, was signed.		* '''17 December 2013''' — the Last Will, reinstating the Demolition Clause, was signed.