Singapore PM’s Nephew Li Shengwu Fined $11,000 Following Guilty Verdict

SINGAPORE, KOMPAS.com – Li Shengwu has been fined $10,884 or S$15,000 by Singapore’s high court for scandalizing the judiciary in a long-running case related to a bitter family feud.

Li Shengwu is the nephew of Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong.

The case involved Li Shengwu’s private Facebook post in 2017 in which he said the Singapore government was "very litigious and has a pliant court system".

The comments were about the family battle over the home of Singapore’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, that created a rift between Li Shengwu’s father Lee Hsien Yang and Singapore’s Prime Minister.

Li is a 35-year-old assistant professor at Harvard University in the United States.

He had opted earlier not to participate in the proceedings against him and was not represented in court for Wednesday's judgment.

Justice Kannan Ramesh said in his decision that the allegation in the post "is without any basis" and "does not amount to fair criticism".

If Li does not pay the fine in two weeks, he will face one week in prison, according to a copy of the judgment.

"I disagree with the judgment," Li said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

"In response to three words in a private Facebook post, the government has wasted three years of civil servants' time".

(Writer: John Geddie | Editors: Muralikumar Anantharaman, Robert Birsel) 

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-singapore-crime-li/singapore-pms-nephew-fined-11000-for-scandalising-court-idUSKCN24U0AK