'I have nothing to hide': Shanmugam welcomes legitimate questions, slams 'outrageous' allegations over rental of Ridout Road state property

SINGAPORE — Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said that he has "nothing to hide" about the black-and-white bungalow on Ridout Road he rented, adding that the allegations made against him were "outrageous". 

"I know what I did. I kept to the rules," Mr Shanmugam told reporters on Tuesday (May 23) in Yishun's Chong Pang neighbourhood ahead of a meet-the-people session in the area.

He cited examples of the allegations made: That he had cut down trees illegally and got the Singapore Land Authority to pay for work done on a car porch.

Mr Shanmugam added that he and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who has also faced scrutiny over renting a black-and-white bungalow along Ridout Road, had asked for an independent review on the matter to set out the facts and help retain public trust.

"People are entitled to questions," he said. "You cannot let doubts about the integrity of ministers fester and be left unaddressed. I have nothing to hide."

Mr Shanmugam added that the Government should set out the facts and lay them before Parliament and the people.

"That's the only way to retain trust."

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said earlier on the same day that an independent review, headed by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, will be carried out quickly to look into the rental transactions of the two Ridout Road state properties rented by Mr Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan. 

The findings will be made public in time for the next parliamentary sitting in July. 

Separately, Dr Balakrishnan gave a brief comment to reporters on Tuesday at the Ministry of Communications and Information building on Hill Street.

"I'm very glad that PM Lee had agreed to have this review, and to publish all relevant facts and findings before we have a full debate in Parliament," Dr Balakrishnan said. 

Asked by reporters whether he had any rebuttals to the allegations made against him, Mr Shanmugam noted the claims that trees on the property had been cut down illegally and that SLA paid for work done on a car porch.

"It's also said that I acted in conflict of interest, and so on. I don't want to comment much until Senior Minister Teo's review is done," Mr Shanmugam said.

"But I will say, speaking from a personal perspective, the allegations are outrageous." 

The matter arose after opposition Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam wrote a series of articles early this month questioning whether the ministers were "paying less than the fair market value" for the properties.

In the articles, Mr Jeyaretnam alleged, among other things, that a number of trees in the properties that the Cabinet ministers rented had been cut down. 

Responding to the articles, SLA — a statutory board under the Ministry of Law — confirmed that the stated properties were leased to both ministers above the “guide rent” and that the rentals were fully compliant with its procedures. 

'MORE QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED AFTER REVIEW' 

Reporters also asked Mr Shanmugam questions about why he had considered renting the Ridout Road property, whether his Cabinet colleagues were notified of this decision, and what the guide rent of the property was, among others. 

Mr Shanmugam declined to answer the questions now.

“There is a review going on, and we should not seek to prejudge,” he said. “I will be happy to answer all these questions, but I think the proper process should be followed.

“I think when we say there is an independent review, headed by Senior Minister Teo and agencies, I think we should let them do their work, and you will have the answers… As the prime minister said, he wants this expeditiously, so you will have your answers soon enough.” 

Once the facts are laid out after the review, he will respond to them accordingly, he added.

“And if the review does show some wrongdoing, you know what will happen,” he said, adding that "both these properties had been empty for years when we put in our bids".