In July 2024, we informed the public that the long-running law suits against us and others commenced by the independent panels for Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) and Sengkang Town Council (SKTC) had been settled through mediation on a drop-hands basis i.e. all parties would discontinue their claims against each other and bear their own legal costs.

In late September 2025, we donated to Aljunied-Hougang Town Council and Sengkang Town Council the sums of $26,958.52 and $30,768.51 respectively, totalling $57,727.03.  This Statement is issued by us to inform the public of the circumstances and rationale behind these donations.

Since the law suits started in 2017, the legal costs and disbursements payable to our lawyers totalled more than $3.1 million.  The proceedings took seven years, from 2017 to 2024.  We wish to acknowledge and thank members of the public, friends and acquaintances for their contributions towards our legal expenses when we needed it.    Through this long process, we personally have collectively paid more than $1.4 million towards these legal fees.

On 29 November 2023, the Court of Appeal awarded legal costs of the appeal in Suits No 668 and 716 of 2017 in our favour.  The amount of costs and disbursements ordered to be paid was $230,701.28, being $107,696.73 due from AHTC and $123,004.55 due from SKTC.  The proportion of each TC’s contribution towards the total costs received is thus 46.7% from AHTC and 53.3% from SKTC.

From November 2023 to date, we have used a total of $172,983.97 out of the $230,701.28 to pay our lawyers’ bills up to the conclusion of their work.  A balance of $57,717.31 remained, which was placed in our lawyers’ account.  As at 27 August, the amount stood at $57,727.03, which could have been used to reimburse us for the $1.4 million we have paid.  We have, however, donated the balance monies to the Town Councils in the proportions stated above.

SYLVIA LIM, LOW THIA KHIANG & PRITAM SINGH
2 October 2025