In a Facebook post published yesterday (25 Sept), Li Shengwu revealed that the legal team representing him in the lawsuit brought on by Singapore’s Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) is leading British barrister David Pannick who counts Queen Elizabeth II among his clients.
Shengwu, who is the grandson of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, son of Lee Hsien Yang and nephew of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is facing legal action brought on by the AGC, over a private “friends-only” Facebook post he wrote on 15 July 2017.
Over two years later, Shengwu has confirmed that the the Singapore Government is “still prosecuting” him “after all this time.” Revealing that he has filed his defence affidavit, he wrote on Facebook:
“Friends often ask me if the Singapore government is still prosecuting me after all this time. The answer is yes. I just filed my defence affidavit.
“Over the past two years, my legal team has taken advice from David Pannick, a leading expert. I’m grateful for Lord Pannick’s guidance and help, even as he has been in the midst of winning a landmark constitutional case in the UK.”
The landmark constitutional case Baron Pannick fought in the UK is the case he led, arguing against the illegality of the UK Government’s prorogation of Parliament in September 2019. Late last month, the Parliament of the United Kingdom was controversially ordered to be prorogued by Queen Elizabeth II upon the advice of the Conservative Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
Baron Pannick led a team of lawyers representing Gina Miller in her lawsuit against PM Johnson and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled unanimously that the prorogation was both justiciable and unlawful; consequently, the Order in Council ordering the prorogation was quashed and the prorogation itself was deemed “null and of no effect”.
In the ruling on 24 Sept 2019, a day before Li Shengwu revealed that he has been receiving legal advice from Baron Pannick, the UK supreme court unanimously judged that the PM Johnson had given unlawful advice to the Queen.
Baron Pannick, a leading and respected barrister who practises mainly in the areas of public law and human rights, has acted in a wide range of high-profile cases, besides the landmark constitutional case he won this week. The 63-year-old is also an incumbent member of Britain’s House of Lords – a post he has held for over a decade, since 2008.
A spokesman for Baron Pannick has confirmed his role in Li Shengwu’s case. Reuters reported: “Gary Oliver, a spokesman for Pannick at Blackstone Chambers, confirmed Pannick had been instructed by Li in an advisory capacity, without giving further details.”