SINGAPORE: Sales of new private homes fell 22.5% last month, according to data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday (March 15).

Excluding executive apartments (EC), developers sold 527 units in February, down from 680 units in January.

Most of these were in the Rest of Central Region (RCR), with 266 units sold. The Outside Central Region (OCR) saw 160 sales and the Core Central Region (CCR) saw 101 sales.

Ms Christine Sun, senior vice president of research and analysis at OrangeTee & Tie, noted that new sales excluding EC were down 18.3% year-on-year compared to the 645 units in February last year.

“The private housing market is reeling from a triple whammy of cooling measures, falling housing supply and global uncertainty from the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” Ms Sun said.

She also pointed to other challenges for homebuyers, such as rising interest rates, a property tax hike next year and fewer housing options as fewer projects launch this year.

Developers launched 194 units in February, a slight increase from the 178 units launched the previous month.

Of these, 167 were launched in the RCR and the rest in the CCR.

“February is usually a slow month for developers, as (Chinese New Year) tends to drop off this month,” said Lee Sze Teck, senior research director at Huttons Asia.

Noting that February was the second month with fewer than 200 launches, Mr Li said last month was the third-lowest February since URA began providing data.

He added: “Royal Hallmark, the sole launch in February, has done quite well – almost a third of its units have been sold against the backdrop of cooling measures in December 2021 and some uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine. “

“A positive conclusion from February’s sales is that the proportion of transactions of S$2 million and above … remained at the same level before the cooling measures,” Mr Lee said.

“This means affordability remains intact as market liquidity remains ample despite the cooling measures.”

Mr Mohan Sandrasegeran, research and content analyst at Ohmyhome, said market sentiment in the private new sales market was likely to “remain positive in the months ahead”.

“We expect new sales in the first quarter of 2022 to be between 2,000 and 2,300 units,” he said.

OrangeTee & Tie’s Ms Sun said demand for safe-haven buying could recover as “war tensions continue to escalate”.

“The looming uncertainty could instead benefit our housing market as investors turn their attention to defensive asset classes like real estate,” she said.

SINGAPORE: The Court of Appeal on Monday (March 14) confirmed the decision of the Bar Council to dismiss a complaint against the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer, Ms Kwa Kim Li.

The complaint is one of four lodged against Ms Kwok by Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the children of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the executors of his estate.

The court dubbed it a “first complaint” alleging that Ms Kwok failed to comply with Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s instructions to destroy six of his superseded wills.

Other complaints against Ms Kwa include:

She wrongly disclosed privileged and confidential documents to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong without the approval of the executor (second complaint);
She did not properly document the instructions she received from Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the advice she gave him (third complaint); and
Her letters dated 4 June 2015 and 22 June 2015 gave the executor a false and misleading impression, failing to mention certain discussions between her and Mr Lee Kuan Yew (fourth complaint).
The founding Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, passed away on 23 March 2015.

From 20 August 2011 to 2 November 2012, Ms Kwok, managing partner of Lee Kuan Yew Law Firm, prepared six wills for Mr Lee Kuan Yew. She was not involved in the preparation of his seventh and final will.

It will eventually restore equal shares of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s three children’s property and reintroduce a clause requiring the demolition of his house at 38 Oxley Road.

Lawyer Li Xuefen (wife of Mr Lee Hsien Yang) has been suspended in 2020 for misconduct in handling final wills.

Event leading to appeal
In its first report on 8 May 2020, a committee of inquiry convened by the Law Society recommended that the first and second complaints should be referred to the Disciplinary Tribunal.

It said the third and fourth complaints were not filed and should be dismissed.

The Law Society Council raised further questions on the first and second complaints and referred the matter to the Committee for further consideration.

In the Commission’s second report, dated 3 August 2020, it reversed its position on the first complaint, recommending that it be dismissed.

It stood by its original position that the second complaint should be brought to the Disciplinary Court.

Dr Lee and Mr Lee Hsien Yang then applied to the High Court for an order that the Law Society apply to the Chief Justice to appoint a disciplinary tribunal to conduct a formal investigation into Ms Or’s conduct in each of these complaints.

On April 21 last year, Judge Valerie Thean granted their first and fourth complaints. The judge dismissed the third complaint.

Judge Thean’s decision on the first complaint was the subject of an appeal by the Bar to the Court of Appeal.

Decision of the Court of Appeal
The decision of the five-judge panel was made by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. The court said the appeal raised two issues.

The first question is whether the Council of the Law Society has the power to refer the matter to the Commission of Inquiry for consideration where the Commission has decided that a formal investigation should be conducted by the Disciplinary Tribunal.

This involves interpreting the part of the Legal Profession Act that provides for disciplinary procedures in the case of complaints.

The court ruled that under the “vernacular” of that part of the bill, the Council of the Bar was empowered to do so.

The second issue for the court to decide is whether a prima facie case of Ms Kwa’s misconduct in the first complaint warrants a formal investigation by the disciplinary tribunal.

The Court of Appeal’s decision stated that the Commission of Inquiry’s conclusion that there was no prima facie evidence in the first complaint was “sufficiently substantiated”.

The court said the essence of the first complaint was that Mr Lee Kuan Yew instructed Ms Or
“Physically destroy” earlier wills, meaning that no trace of the will will be left.

Ms Kwok explained to the committee that the word “destroy” was her own term and that Mr Lee Kuan Yew had never used it when they discussed the superseded will.

“She further explained that when she used the word, she was doing so in reference to the act of invalidating the will, which we understand in the sense of undermining its legal effect,” the judgment said.

“She also explained that (Mr Lee Kuan Yew) would often ask her what was in her previous will and then she needed to be able to refer to the previous will.”

Court says there is no evidence Mr Lee Kuan Yew “intended or directed” his will to be

SINGAPORE: A man has been arrested for criminal intimidation and possession of an offensive weapon after allegedly swinging a sword at several people in Buangkok, police said on Monday (March 14).

Police said they responded to a distress call at around 1.55pm on Monday after seeing a man wielding a sword near the Place des Nations.

The man allegedly swung his sword at the public; two suffered minor injuries. At least three vehicles were also damaged, police said.

The man was then taken into custody by five members of the public before being arrested by responding police.

“The man was subsequently arrested for criminal intimidation and possession of an offensive weapon,” police said.

The sword has been confiscated as a case exhibit. Police added that an investigation is ongoing.

In the 3-minute video, the man is seen walking in the middle of the road when he hits three cars with his sword as they pass him.

He crossed the pavement and swung his sword at pedestrians.

The attacker then slipped and fell. The four quickly pressed him to the ground and saw the fifth kick the sword away.

About eight police cars and an ambulance then arrived at the scene, according to witnesses. “The man with the sword was in a coma at the time,” they said, adding that the man and two others had bloodstains and superficial wounds.

Anyone convicted of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place can be jailed for up to three years and with not less than six strokes of the cane.

For criminal intimidation, the man could be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.