Kenneth Jeyaretnam given 8th POFMA order, under police probe over possible offences under contempt laws
Kenneth Jeyaretnam has remained out of Singapore. He has "not made himself available to assist in investigations by attending any interviews", says the Finance Ministry.
Reform Party Secretary-General Kenneth Jeyaretnam. (Photo: Elizabeth Goh)
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SINGAPORE: Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been issued his eighth correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).
The latest POFMA order relates to a Jun 15 Facebook post in which he suggested that the government sets artificially high land prices for sale to the Housing and Development Board (HDB), among other false claims.
He also alleged in the post that the reason why the government maintains a large land bank of heritage properties is to keep land prices as high as possible, and that this is part of its strategy of boosting the country's reserves.
These claims are untrue, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a media release on Thursday (Jul 4).
It added that the police and POFMA Office are investigating Mr Jeyaretnam, the first time such a probe has been made public.
He is being investigated for possible offences under POFMA and possible contempt of court under the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.
"Agencies have been in communication with Mr Jeyaretnam since April 2024 and have invited him to assist with the investigations," said the Finance Ministry.
"He has thus far remained out of jurisdiction and not made himself available to assist in investigations by attending any interviews."
EIGHTH POFMA ORDER
Mr Jeyaretnam has been vocal about several matters on social media, including his views on the rental of state properties at Ridout Road to two Cabinet ministers.
The Finance Ministry noted that this is the eighth correction direction that has been issued to Mr Jeyaretnam for 21 online posts. He received the first of these POFMA orders in July 2023.
His website, The Ricebowl Singapore, as well as his accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn, have been marked as Declared Online Locations under POFMA since Dec 12.
This was for carrying three or more different false statements of fact that were subject to active POFMA directions at the material time, said the ministry.
Despite this, the ministry said Mr Jeyaretnam has continued to make false and misleading statements about government policies and the operations of public agencies.
“He has repeatedly made false statements, even when the facts are clear and should be known to him," it added.
Mr Jeyaretnam was issued his sixth POFMA order in February this year in relation to his comments about the rental of the black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road.
That same month, the authorities told CNA that the Attorney-General's Chambers and the POFMA Office would assess his comments on the Ridout Road rentals to see if "any further action should be taken".
His seventh POFMA order was given in May, after he alleged that the Prime Minister and Law Minister can influence the sizes of performance bonuses paid to specific High Court judges.
FALSE STATEMENTS
In refuting Mr Jeyaretnam's false statements in his Jun 15 Facebook post, the Finance Ministry said the prices for the sale of state land to HDB are not set by the government as he had claimed.
Rather, the chief valuer - an independent office - determines the sale price based on established valuation principles, taking into consideration resale transactions on the open market and other relevant factors such as the specific parameters of the site.
"Such valuation principles are similarly adopted by professional valuers in the private sector," MOF said.
It noted that the chief valuer's appointment requires the President’s concurrence, and its professional assessment is made without influence from the government.
Addressing the allegation that the government maintains a large land bank of heritage properties in order to keep land prices as high as possible, MOF said the government’s approach to land management is based on Singapore’s planning and development needs, and not to maximise land sales proceeds nor to increase the value of the reserves.
Certain properties in Singapore are not redeveloped but conserved because of their heritage or historical value, said the ministry, noting that this was explained by Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong in his ministerial statement on the rentals of state properties in July 2023.
Mr Jeyaretnam made a third allegation claiming that the government endowment and trust funds are not transparent.
MOF pointed out that top-ups to the endowment and trust funds can be found in the Revenue and Expenditure Estimates and the Supply Bill, which are tabled to parliament for approval.
“The amount of top-up to each endowment and trust fund, as well as the starting and ending financial year balance and annual outlay, can be found in the various financial statements published by either the government, the relevant statutory board appointed as the trustee, agent or custodian, or the Institution of a Public Character or charity," said the ministry.
“These financial statements are publicly accessible.”
Mr Jeyaretnam will be required to carry a correction notice, which states that the post contains false statements of fact and provides a link to the government’s clarification.
Further information on the facts of the case is available on the government’s Factually website.
