Rejecting allegations that they have acted in breach of their fiduciary duties, three Workers’ Party Members of Parliament said on Wednesday (July 26) they will contest the lawsuit brought against them by the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC). TODAY file photos
SINGAPORE – Rejecting allegations that they have acted in breach of their fiduciary duties, three Workers’ Party (WP) Members of Parliament (MPs) said on Wednesday (July 26) they will contest the lawsuit brought against them by the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC).
In a public statement, WP chief Low Thia Khiang, town council chairman Pritam Singh and vice-chairman Sylvia Lim said they have “acted in good faith and in the best interests of the Town Council and our residents”.
Confirming that they received the individual statements of claim filed by AHTC, the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency MPs said they have engaged law firm Tan Rajah and Cheah to defend them.
They also categorically rejected "all" allegations cited in the lawsuit. The WP MPs' statement listed out three specific allegations, which they rejected:
That they acted in breach of their fiduciary duties and duties of care and skill owed to ATHC.
That they had set up a faulty system that allowed the appointment of the town council's former managing agent firm, FM Solutions & Services (FMSS), and made it possible for FMSS and/or officers to benefit themselves.
That they entered into contracts with architects in breach of duties owed to AHTC.
On being asked to give an account of profits made from the appointment of FMSS or pay damages not less than S$1.25 million, Mr Low and Ms Lim responded that they have “not benefitted a single cent”.
In the lawsuit, Ms Lim and Mr Singh have also been asked to pay damages of S$2.8 million for the wrongful appointment of architects.
The three WP MPs said they will be furnishing more information during the course of legal proceedings so that “all concerned will be clearer on the issues and why we made the decisions and acted as we did”.
The suit was filed by an independent panel, chaired by Senior Counsel Philip Jeyaretnam, which was appointed in February to recommend the recovery actions the AHTC needs to take over the large sums of improper payments that it had made from its funds. The payments were flagged by the town council’s auditor KPMG in October last year.
The other members of the panel are Senior Counsel N Sreenivasan and Mr Ong Pang Thye, the managing partner of KPMG.
In a statement, the Housing Development Board (HDB) said it had been notified by the panel that a claim was filed with the High Court, adding: "A copy of the statement of claim has been extended to HDB pursuant to the (panel's) terms of appointment.
HDB added that it was studying the details of the suit, and that it had asked the Attorney-General's Chambers to "advise on the matter". It did not elaborate.
More at Today Online
Sigh, since when was politics ever practised in a 100% clean and transparent manner in any part of the world? If you don't play dirty, its not called politics anymore. Survival of the fittest yo, harsh truths.
Yet another despicable attempt by the ruling party to parry attention away from the Oxley Road and PE shit sagas.
Poor Ah Lau, this time is really sue until pants drop.
Let's support the Workers' Party as the PAP seeks to destroy and bring down the opposition party here. They can't unfortunately ownself clear ownself like our PM did three weeks ago in Parliament.
The PM's own ward Ang Mo Kio Town Council also faced similar allegations of corruption but the case was easily settled out of the public scrutiny when the town council general manager was relieved of his duties last year and dismissed without implicating the MPs.
Its also a important distraction tactic as the government faces a host of its own problems involving the PM's own abuse of power allegation by his two siblings which he has cleared himself in Parliament and the Malay-only Presidential Election.
The PE which will take place in September has hurt the feelings of a lot of our Singaporean Malays and put the government on a back-foot for the past few weeks as it struggles to properly address the racial legality of their preferred Indian-Muslim candidate Halimah.
As for the lawsuit against the three WP main figures, if it involves corruption, the government should bring in the CPIB to investigate WP but it has instead threw the legal law book at the opposition party which will give the issue wider smear publicity.
By appointing Philip Jeyeretnam son of WP's founder father JB Jeyeretnam to preside over the case, it has also stirs up much sentiments against the former founder's son who now works for the government.
Its vintage PAP's distraction technique at its best to sue the WP now when the government has also faced many Accounting-General Office's official complaints for the past 3 years into financial irregularities for many of its own statutory boards and civil services.
Nothing is believed to have being done to properly investigate and clear the irregularities as the same financial problem is being re-flagged the next year. Should we not also sue the government for improper handling of our millions of taxpayer money?
If the WP's three MPs are found guilty by our court system, they are likely to be heavily fined and may not be able to stand for the next general election - probably the PAP's main motive for suing them now.
Let us support WP for the sake of our opposition cause!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156596321963975&set=a.51198263974.72800.721043974
In the mean-fucking-while, Government of Indian Corporation GIC loses up to a possible US$4b no thanks to its short-sighted investment strategy in UBS.
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2017/05/17/gics-investment-to-ubs-nine-years-ago-might-cost-gic-a-loss-of-us4b/