Parliament to examine allegations of civil servants buying homes near secret MRT stations

A group of nine MPs plans to press the government on accusations that civil servants disproportionately bought property near future MRT stations that were not publicly announced at the time of purchase. The claims were highlighted in a September study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which found a higher rate of purchases by civil servants than by comparable non-civil servants. The Public Service Division has begun cataloguing transactions from 2007 to 2011 involving officers involved in rail planning and will investigate any evidence of insider trading, with police involvement if warranted.

MPs also queried existing safeguards, regulatory frameworks, and whether such behavior breaches civil service rules. Additional parliamentary business includes questions on rising retrenchments, delays to the North-South Corridor, and motions to raise salaries for the Speaker and Deputy Speakers.