Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s nephew Li Shengwu may be on the other side of the world right now, but that’s not stopping the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) from launching legal action against him for contempt of court.
The High Court has since given the AGC the green light to start committal proceedings against the 32-year-old Harvard academic for a private Facebook post (which leaked to the public) that mentioned that Singapore has a “pliant court system”.
Li said that he has no intention of returning to his home country to face the contempt proceedings.
In other words, the Lee Family Drama just refuses to fizzle out — especially since this spin-off saga is just about to take root. In an attempt to make sense of all this, here’s a chronological timeline of Li Shengwu VS AGC.
July 15: Li uploaded The Facebook Post
In the midst of the very public squabble between his dad, his aunt and his prime minister uncle, Li posted a Wall Street Journal piece on his Facebook page, noting to his circle of friends that “the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system”.
July 17: AGC responded
The AGC wasn’t about to let Li’s remark go easily, and stated to the media that it was looking into the matter.
In response, Li expressed his surprise that the Singapore government was “so petty”. He sassily suggested that the government also look through his private Facebook feed for “seditious vacation photos”. In a public comment directed at his friend, he said it was obvious that PM Lee’s “dogs” were monitoring his posts. “How else would they know when to bark?”
July 21: A warning letter was sent
AGC sent Li a “threatening letter”, stating that his private post was an attack on the Singapore judiciary and in contempt of court.
The letter (Annex A) demanded that Li “purge the contempt” by removing the post from his social media platforms, and prominently post an apology on his Facebook page.
They gave him till 5pm on July 28 to do so.
July 23: Li exited
Li flew back to the United States, more than a week sooner than planned, as we learned from a Reuters report later on. He’s a junior fellow at Harvard University, FYI. He was supposed to attend a friend’s birthday party, but alas, AGC.
July 27: Li requested for an extension
Li wrote to the AGC, requesting for an extension of the deadline to 5pm on Aug 4 to respond (Annex B) as he only received it on July 26. AGC agreed to wait till Aug 4.
Aug 4: AGC stepped into action
Li clarified in a Facebook post that he did not have the intent to “attack the Singapore judiciary or to undermine public confidence in the administration of justice.” He laid out the ways the AGC got it all wrong, and also amended his original post to “clarify (his) meaning”.
AGC remained unmoved.
“As Mr Li has failed to purge the contempt and to apologise by the extended deadline, an application for leave to commence committal proceedings for contempt against him will today be filed in the High Court,” wrote the AGC.
Aug 5: Li published the letter he sent to AGC
In a letter dated Aug 4, he made clarifications to “resolve AGC’s misunderstanding”. He insisted that the post was private, and never gave any approval for others to reproduce it, taking issue with the mainstream media republishing the “unauthorised screenshot”.
Aug 6: Li took issue with The Straits Times
Aug 7: Dr Lee Wei Ling chimed in
His aunt, Dr Lee Wei Ling, backed him up.
Aug 8: AGC responded to Li’s letter
AGC dismissed his response — its main contention was that Li refused to publish an apology, so it was still up to take action against him. It did, however, acknowledge that he amended his post, and requested that he write instead “I hereby undertake not to repeat the allegations, or make any further similar allegations”.
Aug 18: The Reuters article was published
Reuters published its exclusive interview with Li, who stated that he left Singapore in July because his friends grew concerned that he might be detained by the authorities for the contempt of court case. Li stated that it was possible for people to be detained and interrogated for some time without a lawyer.
He also mentioned he had no intention at all to return to Singapore, but would continue to defend himself with legal representation in Singapore.
The Prime Minister’s Office refuted everything that Li claimed in the article. PM Lee’s press secretary Chang Li Lin rebutted Li, denying that a cult of Lee Kuan Yew exists (some people think it does), and that clear laws and procedures applied to all cases of contempt. She asserted that the People’s Action Party was the democratically elected government of Singapore and that anyone unhappy with their ruling could contest in the elections.
“AGC has told Mr Li that if he apologised for his comments, then the proceedings against him will be withdrawn”, Lin said to Reuters. “Mr Li has not done so.”
Li was shook. He expressed surprise that PM Lee’s press secretary was actually aware of the private contents of AGC’s letter — how did she know that the AGC would drop legal proceedings against him should he comply with its demands? Weren’t the two offices supposed to be separate entities? He then published his follow-up reply to AGC.
Aug 21: AGC got the green light
The High Court gave AGC the go-ahead to start committal proceedings against PM Lee’s nephew for contempt of court. The AGC now has 14 days to file an order of committal against Li, and the hearing can go on with or without Li and his lawyers.
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