Singapore PM's nephew found guilty of contempt, fined $11,000
Story highlights
Li Shengwu, an academic at Harvard University, was also fined $11,000 by the High Court over the 2017 post in which he described the Singapore government as 'very litigious and has a pliant court system'.
A grandson of Singapore's founding leader Lee Kuan Yew and nephew of the current prime minister was convicted Wednesday of contempt of court over a Facebook post criticising the judiciary during a bitter family feud.
Li Shengwu, an academic at Harvard University, was also fined $11,000 by the High Court over the 2017 post in which he described the Singapore government as "very litigious and has a pliant court system".
Shengwu's case involved a private Facebook post in 2017 in which he said the Singapore government was "very litigious and has a pliant court system". Earlier this year, he said he had opted not to participate in the proceedings against him.
His 2017 post came amid a bitter public feud among the children of the island’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, including the current prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and Li's father, Lee Hsien Yang.
"Apparently the court has rendered judgement on my case today ... I disagree with the judgement," Li said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Li is the eldest son of business executive Lee Hsien Yang, who has been at loggerheads with his brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, over their father's legacy.
He made the Facebook post as the family feud raged publicly following the death of the Lee patriarch in 2015. The spat pitted his father and aunt against his prime minister uncle.
The Attorney-General's Chambers had described his post as "an egregious and baseless attack on the Singapore Judiciary" and lodged contempt proceedings against him.
A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court confirmed there had been a judgement in the case on Wednesday but could not immediately provide details.
He will have to serve a week's jail if he does not pay, Justice Kannan Ramesh said in the judgement, although Li is currently living in the United States.