Singapore's founding father's home acquired by govt, ends bitter family feud

Singapore's founding father's home is now in possession of the government, officials said Friday, ending a close to decade-long family dispute over the property.

The acquisition marks a significant conclusion to the bitter rivalry that has gripped the city-state since Lee Kuan Yew's death in 2015.

Two years after Lee's death, his children publicly clashed over whether the eight bedroom, two-storey bungalow in the heart of Singapore's shopping district should be preserved or torn down.

In a joint statement the Singapore Land Authority and the National Heritage Board said Friday that the government "took possession of the site... to preserve it in keeping with its historic significance and national importance".

The heritage board "will undertake a detailed study of the site and the options for how it can be developed into a public space in a manner that respects Mr Lee Kuan Yew's wishes for privacy," they added.

Lee, who was credited with transforming the Southeast Asian island into a wealthy city-state in just a little over 30 years, started living at the property in the mid-1940s until his death.

It has been the site of significant events in the 1950s marking Singapore's transition from a British colony to an independent nation and the venue for meetings of key leaders ahead of Singapore's independence in 1965.

Lee's oldest son, and former prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong favoured preserving the property, which estate agents in 2024 said had a prospective value of around Sg$30 million ($23 million) in land scarce Singapore.

But his two siblings -- corporate executive Lee Hsien Yang and the late neurologist Lee Wei Ling -- have pointed to language in their father's will calling for its demolition.

The younger siblings accused their brother in 2017 of trying to exploit their father's legacy for political gain.

Lee Wei Ling died in 2024. Lee Hsien Yang, has been living in self-imposed exile abroad since 2022, citing political persecution which the government has denied.