A new development has emerged in the Dominique Sarron Lee case.
After confirming with MINDEF and the lawyer of one of the officers involved in the lawsuit, TODAY reports that legal costs will be slashed for the family of the NSF, who died three years ago during military training after an allergic reaction to the chemicals in smoke grenades.
There were no criminal charges against the two officers involved in the training exercise, but SAF claims that both have been punished in accordance with military law.
The family sued the SAF for negligence but their case was dismissed, and they were ordered to pay the legal costs to the Ministry of Defence, which resulted in a heartbreaking Facebook post by Lee’s mother.
A public outcry ensued, and Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen stepped in with an empathetic statement asking for the costs to be waived.
MINDEF and Captain Najib Hanuk Bin Muhamad Jalal responded and agreed to release the family of their portion, which amounted to $10,000 and $6,000 respectively.
But no word yet from Major Chia Thye Siong’s side, so the family may still have to pay the remaining $6,000.
