Developer Mandai Park Holdings (MPH) said there was no conflict of interest involved in the selection of Banyan Tree Holdings as the operator of an eco-friendly hotel in the upcoming Mandai nature hub.

Mr Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman of Banyan Tree, is married to Ms Claire Chiang, former chairman of Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) - the operating arm of MPH that manages the wildlife parks.

Ms Chiang is currently senior vice-president at Banyan Tree Holdings, and one of 10 directors sitting on the MPH board.

The WRS board was dissolved in October 2015, when MPH was established to oversee WRS and Mandai Park Development - MPH's development arm.

An MPH spokesman said: "Ms Claire Chiang recused herself from the entire Request for Proposal process and any deliberations by the MPH board. She was neither involved in Banyan Tree's proposal submission nor MPH's evaluation and selection process."

MPH group chief executive Mike Barclay said Banyan Tree has a strong track record in developing and managing resorts that are sensitively located and sustainably operated.

"Through its global portfolio of resorts, it runs many meaningful environmental conservation and community programmes. In this regard, we are deeply aligned," he added.

Audrey Tan