Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng were awarded S$230,000 in damages each for defamation by Bloomberg and its reporter, Low De Wei.
SINGAPORE: Two Singapore Ministers have been awarded close to half a million combined in damages after the High Court found thatThe lawsuit was brought against the American publication and reporter Low De Wei by Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng over an article titledPublished on December 12 2024, the report examined transactions involving Good Class Bungalows in Singapore and alleged that there was a lack of publicly available records relating to such property deals.
It also referred to private properties purchased by Mr Shanmugam and Dr Tan. In a judgment released on Tuesday , Justice Audrey Lim ruled that the article was defamatory. She found that the article conveyed a defamatory meaning by suggesting that the ministers had deliberately structured their property dealings in a manner designed to avoid scrutiny.
In her written judgment, Justice Lim said: “An allegation that a person has deliberately structured his property dealings to escape examination for possible money laundering plainly tends to lower him in the estimation of right-thinking members of society. ” The judge also concluded that the “natural and ordinary meaning” of the article was that the ministers had “took advantage of the absence of checks and balances or disclosure requirements to conduct their property transactions in a non-transparent manner”, and that they had done so in order to conceal the transactions and avoid scrutiny, including possible examination for money laundering.
Describing the allegations as particularly serious, Justice Lim said: “These are grave assertions that directly impugn the claimants’ personal integrity, character and professional reputation. This is therefore a factor that points towards the award of higher damages. ” The court awarded S$230,000 in damages to each minister, bringing the total damages to S$460,000. Both ministers have since said that they plan to donate the amount to charity.
Bloomberg, as the publisher of the article, and Mr Low, as the author, were found to be jointly liable for the defamation, making them jointly responsible for paying the full amount awarded by the court.
More than 500 AI-generated women on TikTok spread false or misleading information about Singapore and Malaysia, attracting over 3M views A coordinated network of AI-generated TikTok personalities recycling fake stories about SG & MY, raising new concerns over online influence campaignsA HSBC survey found that local investors use artificial intelligence in the financial sector at a higher rate than the global average, with over 70% of surveyed investors using AI in their financia...document.addEventListener=>{ const trigger=document.getElementById; if { const observer=new IntersectionObserver=>{ entries.forEach { lazyLoader; // You should define lazyLoader elsewhere or inline here observer.unobserve; // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); observer.observe; } else { // Fallback setTimeout; } });
Please follow us on Google to support usSingapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Singapore Luxury Home Sales Hit Four-Year High in First Half of 2024Singapore recorded 353 luxury home transactions in H1 2024, the highest first-half volume in four years, driven by high-net-worth investors seeking safe-haven assets. Sales rose 24.7% from a year ago, with price growth moderating as new supply enters the market.
Read more »
Singapore Ministers Awarded $230,000 Each in Defamation Suit Against Bloomberg Over Property ArticleSingapore's High Court has ruled in favor of Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, awarding each $230,000 in damages in a defamation case against Bloomberg News. The lawsuit stemmed from a December 2023 article that discussed secretive mansion deals, including the ministers' own property transactions. The court found the article's natural and ordinary meaning suggested the ministers deliberately avoided transparency to hide potential money laundering scrutiny.
Read more »
Singapore Ministers to Donate Defamation Damages to Charity After Winning Lawsuit Against BloombergHome Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng will donate damages awarded to them by the High Court to charity after winning a defamation case against Bloomberg and a reporter. The court found the defendants acted maliciously in publishing a July 2024 article about the ministers' property transactions. The ministers stated the lawsuit was about protecting their integrity, reputations, and the standing of their offices. Shanmugam warned that letting irresponsible outlets publish falsehoods without consequence would deter good people from public service.
Read more »
Singapore Ministers Awarded $230,000 in Damages Against BloombergSingapore Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng were awarded $230,000 in damages each by the High Court against Bloomberg and its journalist Low De Wei over a defamatory article.
Read more »