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Where ministers decide to live are personal choices: PM Lee

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong rose to speak, explaining why he tasked CPIB to conduct an investigation into the rentals of 26 and 31 Ridout Road.

The focus of the debate has been on values – integrity, property, incorruptibility, he said.

Mr Lee noted that ministers in Singapore are paid a clean wage. They do not get perks, there is no official house to live in, they get a salary, it’s for them to decide what is needed in their lives, he added.

“Therefore, where ministers decide to live – whether they want to rent, whether they want to buy – these are personal choices. Thus I see nothing wrong with ministers renting properties from SLA or from private landlords - provided that it is properly done and all procedures are followed,” Mr Lee told the House. 

When Mr Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan asked Mr Lee to conduct an investigation that is independent of their ministries, Mr Lee said that notwithstanding his confidence in them and in the system, he decided that it would be best for the CPIB to conduct a probe, and to establish definitively if there was corruption or wrongdoing.

CPIB is an agency under the Prime Minister's Office.