Deep Dive Podcast: CPF nomination - Are there safeguards against ill intentions?
Should there be checks when a member leaves his or her CPF money to non-family members?
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CNA's weekly news podcast takes a deep dive into issues that people talk about at dining tables and along the office corridors. Hosted by Steven Chia and Crispina Robert.
Singaporean Audrey Fang, who was found dead in Spain, had nominated her alleged killer to be the beneficiary of her Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings. How does the autonomy of choice balance with checks against bad intentions when it comes to CPF nominations?
Steven Chia and Crispina Robert get answers from Liang Weirong, senior deputy director of nominations and accounts closure from the CPF Board, and Javern Sim, family lawyer and managing director at Populus Law Corporation.
Here's an excerpt from the conversation:
Crispina Robert: Talking about recourse, we've been reading a few cases where, for example, the patriarch had given money to his girlfriend, and the children come to know a bit later, and then they start questioning this whole thing. So what recourse do people have if, let's say, my family member has nominated somebody that I totally disagree with, what can I do?Â
Javern Sim:
(In the case of a will) if the gentleman had done it out of his own free will, he understands what he's doing, then there's nothing stopping him.Â
Steve Chia: What about for CPF nominations?Â
Liang Weirong: It's the same. There's nothing stopping a CPF member from nominating anyone outside of the family circle. And if he did the nomination, there's nothing to say that nomination was wrongly done. We just have to accept it.Â
Steven: (But) there'll be certain red flags that will trigger your back end when you suspect that there may be other dubious things going on? Can you ever refuse a nomination? If I come to you and I say, "I want to do this," but you've done your checks, and then you come back to me and say, "I'm sorry, but we cannot proceed with this person"?Â
Weirong:Â
Yes, we can refuse to accept a nomination. For example, let's say someone nominates a non-family member, and then we contact this person, and then the CPF member doesn't even know or is confused.
(They don't provide) consistent remarks or statements, then we will tell him that we (will) cancel your nomination, and then you think about it, and then if you want, you can re-submit again.Â
Crispina: Okay, so you have done that before?
Weirong: Yes.
