It was discovered in May that the black-and-white cottages at 26 and 31 Ridout Road had been rented by Minister of Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, both. & nbsp,
Kenneth Jeyaretnam, an opposition legislator and leader of the Reform Party, questioned whether the ministers were” paying less than the fair market value ,” which sparked interest in the situation.
The Law Ministry, led by Mr. Shanmugam and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong, is in charge of SLA, which rented out the Ridout Road position components.
Dr. Balakrishnan and Mr. Shanmugam requested an impartial overview on May 23. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau ( CPIB) was also contacted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to look into the situation. & nbsp,
According to a statement released on June 28, the CPIB’s studies did not turn up any proof of criminal wrongdoing or preferential treatment for Mr. Shanmugam and Dr. Balakrishnan.
Additionally, according to CPIB in the report, there was no revelation of wealthy information during the course of the rented trades and no evidence to suggest any misuse of position by the officials for private gain.
Since the company reports directly to the Prime Minister and has the ability to address the President immediately if they are prevented from conducting an investigation into a potential crime, Mr. Teo emphasized the importance of Mr Lee’s demand for CPIB presence in his ministerial speech in Parliament on Monday. & nbsp,
There isn’t a more complete, persistent, and I dare say also terrifying investigative body in Singapore, according to Mr. Teo.
” The fact that the Prime Minister did not think twice to request the CPIB to look into two senior officials is a sign of how seriously we take for incorruptibility issues and their absolute importance in our system.”
On Monday, Mr. Teo reiterated that both officials, as well as the concerned people officials and private sector intermediaries, had conducted themselves properly in the rented transactions and that there had been no abuse of power or conflict of interest that had led to the ministry gaining any unjustified advantages or privileges. & nbsp,
He continued,” The process of renting out the two attributes did not stray from the prevailing SLA rules and approaches in rent out black-and-white houses for private purposes.”
In particular, Mr. Teo noted that neither Dr. and Mrs. Balakrishnan nor Mrs. Shanmugam and his adviser were given access to the manual rent information.
According to SLA, the guide book is the” supply leasing based on market rates as determined by qualified brokers.” & nbsp,
According to Mr. Teo on Monday, the prospective tenant’s personality was unknown to the SLA appraiser who reviewed the guide book for 26 Ridout Road after the story was expanded. He just discovered that the tenant was Mr Shanmugam when the incident was covered by the media. & nbsp,
Additionally, they were unaware of the rental sum that SLA’s leasing division had agreed upon with the tenant, he continued. & nbsp,
The Senior Minister stated that” this incident highlights the crucial significance of upholding high standards of morality and transparency both within the state and across the country.” & nbsp,