SINGAPORE — Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam has called online allegations that a company headed by his son was preferentially awarded a contract for renovation works at his Ridout Road rental property "utterly false and defamatory".

During a debate in Parliament on Monday (July 3), Mr Shanmugam added: “I say to these people — you want to come after me, you come after me. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself and they will find out that I will defend myself. But leave my family alone.”

Earlier, Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency Member of Parliament Nadia Ahmad Samdin had asked a question about the processes used by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to award contracts over works at black-and-white rental properties.

Ms Nadia asked about how SLA “scopes and awards” contracts to consultants and contractors for the restoration and maintenance of properties.

“I would also appreciate particularly if the minister can address allegations that the contracts for works relating to the properties were awarded to a firm of which Minister Shanmugam's son serves as CEO (chief executive officer) called Livspace,” she said.

Questions about the allegations were raised by Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam in his online blog The Ricebowl Singapore. Mr Jeyaretnam, who is secretary-general of the Reform Party, said there were "rumours" on the matter.

Ms Nadia's question was directed at Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong, who responded that the allegations relating to Mr Shanmugam's son were “scurrilous and unwarranted”.

Mr Tong added that Livspace, the company helmed by Mr Shanmugam’s son, has not had any transactions with the SLA.

The exchanges took place during a debate over the rental property at 26 Ridout Road rented to Mr Shanmugam and a second property at 31 Ridout Road rented to Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. 

Mr Tong said that an external consultant studies the state of the properties before recommending to SLA the works that are necessary. The works are later carried out by a separate contractor.

“And in this case, what happened was we put out an open tender and a term contractor was then appointed to carry out the works,” he said.

“The suggestion that Mr Shanmugam's son, or his company Livspace was appointed — and I think the sting of these allegations is that there's a preference given to this — is completely scurrilous and unwarranted,” said Mr Tong.

“Livspace was not an appointed contractor. Neither do they have any transactions with SLA, as far as we can tell from the quick checks we have done since these allegations began to surface online.”

Standing to speak after Mr Tong’s reply, Mr Shanmugam said it was “inevitable” that there were untruths circulated in relation to the rental of the Ridout Road properties.

“But I’ve not been the only one attacked. My son has also been attacked,” said the minister.

After refuting the allegations, Mr Shanmugam added: “Do these people really believe that CPIB (the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) would not have found this out, if it were true?”

According to Mr Ravindran Shanmugam’s profile on professional networking site LinkedIn, he had joined Livspace as its Singapore country head in March 2019, before becoming chief executive for Southeast Asia in June 2021.

Livspace said in a statement issued on Monday evening that the allegations are "completely false and baseless".

"Livspace has not undertaken any project or work whatsoever at any of the properties based on Ridout Road — neither for SLA, nor for homeowners, nor for tenants," the firm said.

"Livspace has no contracts with SLA (and Livspace has never been engaged by SLA to do any work)."