SINGAPORE – Allegations of abuse involving Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) remain few in Singapore, but lawyers say that these can expose deeply personal family rifts when they do surface.
Out of the 405,000 LPAs made in Singapore in 2025, about 40 reports alleging misconduct by donees were received by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
Such misconduct refers to situations where donees may not be acting in the donor’s best interests, whether in matters of personal welfare, property or financial affairs. This can range from allegations of improper care to fraud or financial mismanagement.
Though the number of cases is small, lawyers say disputes can often be prevented through open communication and clear, detailed directives set out in advance.
An LPA allows individuals to appoint a trusted person – usually a family member – to take charge of matters such as personal welfare, property and finances if they lose their mental capacity.
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), which gave the figures in response to queries from The Straits Times, said that fewer than five LPAs were suspended or revoked over the past three years.
These cases typically involved fraud or financial mismanagement, when a donee uses a donor’s assets to benefit themselves, or puts undue pressure on them to sell property or sign legal documents.
In what is reported to be one of the first few cases under the Mental Capacity Act of a co-donee being stripped of their powers, a woman successfully revoked powers from her elder sister in 2021, after the older woman had meddled with their mentally incapacitated father’s business.
The two sisters had been appointed in 2017 as donees for their elderly father. Each was granted powers to make decisions independently concerning his assets and finances, his health and medical care.
After their father suffered a stroke which left him mentally impaired, the younger sister discovered substantial sums of monies from his funeral parlour business were unaccounted for.
An employee of the business also told her that her older sister had taken their father to a law firm to execute legal documents transferring his interests in the company to her, making her its director and sole shareholder.
After taking the case to court, the older sister’s powers to manage her father’s property and affairs were revoked, but she was allowed to remain as a donee in matters relating to his personal welfare.
While the number of reports made to the OPG is low, lawyers said conflicts are not uncommon.
Ms Low Seow Ling of Emre Legal said disagreements usually come up when the LPA is activated due to a lack of communication.
She noted that some donors appoint certain children as donees without informing others, leading to shock and resentment when the arrangement is eventually revealed.
