First-family feud flares anew in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Jan 07 (AFP): A fragile truce in Singapore's founding family was shattered Monday after state prosecutors alleged the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's estranged brother may be guilty of professional misconduct.

The allegations mark the latest flare-up in a bitter quarrel between Premier Lee, and his younger brother and sister following the death in 2015 of their father, Singapore's revered founding leader Lee Kuan Yew.

At the centre of the dispute is a century-old family bungalow, which the late Lee wanted demolished after his death to avoid the creation of a personality cult.

The prime minister's siblings -- Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling -- accuse their brother of blocking the house's demolition to capitalise on their father's legacy for his own political agenda.

The scandal erupted into public consciousness in 2017 and for months gripped a city-state not used to open criticism of its leaders, but had largely died down since the siblings vowed to stop their attacks on social media.