Shanmugam says $26,500 rental was counter-offer proposed by SLA, not his initial bid

SINGAPORE: Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam revealed in Parliament today that he initially offered to pay a $25,000 monthly rental to lease 26 Ridout Road and accepted the Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) counter-offer of $26,500.

Mr Shanmugam said that the guide rent for the state-owned property was not disclosed to him by SLA.

The guide rent for the property not disclosed to the Minister was exactly $26,500. SLA was also aware that the heavyweight ruling party minister made the initial bid.

The Minister’s statement contradicts SLA’s claim on 12 May that his offer exceeded the guide rent. SLA said in a press statement that Mr Shanmugam was the only bidder for this property, and his offer, made through an agent, was higher than the Guide Rent, which was not disclosed to him.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) deemed SLA’s claim incorrect after completing the probe it was tasked to conduct by the Prime Minister last month and clarified that the rental paid by Minister Shanmugam was equal to the correct guide rent for the property.

CPIB said that the “lack of precision” in the term “guide rent” was not due to any ill intent on the part of SLA officers involved, and there was no evidence of intentional abuse of position in the valuation process.

On top of drawing criticism for how it has handled the two properties, the lack of transparency and blatantly incorrect information in SLA’s May 12 statement has raised added scrutiny about the statutory board’s role in this saga.