Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai raised a parliamentary question regarding the renewed tenancies for 26 and 31 Ridout Road—two colonial-era bungalows currently leased by Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan respectively.
Leong asked whether the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) had renewed the leases in 2024 and how the updated rental terms compared with other black-and-white bungalow transactions in the Ridout Road estate.
Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong Chun Fai, in a written parliamentary response on 8 April, noted that the SLA typically does not disclose tenancy details of State residential properties due to tenant privacy.
However, given the public interest and the involvement of political officeholders, relevant information was provided in this case.
Tong confirmed that the tenancy for 26 Ridout Road, occupied by Shanmugam, had been renewed for a third and final three-year term beginning in June 2024. The lease falls under a 3+3+3-year agreement that commenced in June 2018.
While the rental amount for the renewed term was not disclosed, Tong stated that the rate had increased and was assessed based on prevailing market conditions.
The valuation, on a per-unit floor area basis, was said to be within the range of other heritage bungalow renewals in the estate between the third quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024.
According to details previously released during the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) investigation in 2023, the monthly rent for the second term of 26 Ridout Road was S$26,500. The property has a floor area of 856.5 square metres and sits on a 23,164 square metre plot.
Regarding 31 Ridout Road, Tong stated that no renewal had taken place, as the property is still within its second lease term under a 3+3+2-year agreement that began in October 2019. This term commenced in October 2022 and will continue until 2025.
As disclosed by CPIB, the monthly rent for the second term of 31 Ridout Road is S$20,000. The property has a floor area of 824.3 square metres and occupies a land area of 9,157.36 square metres.
Tong reaffirmed that all SLA leases are subject to consistent procedures regardless of tenant identity and that rental rates are determined through professional market valuations.
Public scrutiny of the Ridout Road properties began in mid-2023, after Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam publicly revealed that Shanmugam and Balakrishnan were leasing black-and-white bungalows managed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).
This revelation sparked concerns, as the SLA falls under the Ministry of Law, which is helmed by Shanmugam. Questions arose about potential conflicts of interest and whether the ministers had received preferential treatment in the leasing process.
In July 2023, CPIB completed its investigation and found no evidence of corruption or wrongdoing. A separate review by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean concluded that both leases had been managed appropriately under existing SLA processes, with valuations independently assessed.
Despite these findings, the issue remained the subject of public discussion and commentary.
Correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) have been issued in response to specific online statements relating to the Ridout Road leases.
Shanmugam and Balakrishnan also took legal action to address certain public claims, including a defamation suit filed against Mr Lee Hsien Yang over a Facebook post concerning the matter. The court later ordered Lee to pay S$619,335 in damages and legal costs.
The Online Citizen (TOC) also recently reported that satellite imagery and public tender records indicated Shanmugam had undertaken extensive landwork at 26 Ridout Road as part of a landscaping and development project estimated to cost around S$150,000.
TOC questioned the scale of the modifications, particularly as the lease was originally due to expire in 2027, and asked why such works would be undertaken before a renewal was confirmed.
At the time of writing, TOC had not received any substantive response from the authorities addressing the specific issues raised. The concerns were centred on transparency and accountability in the management of state-leased properties, particularly when the tenant is a sitting Cabinet Minister overseeing the very agency responsible for the lease.
A POFMA Correction Direction was issued in response to TOC’s article, with the Government stating that the report contained ‘falsehoods’.
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