Update 1 Sep 2021: Singapore PM wins $275,000 in latest defamation suits
Singapore's high court ordered two news bloggers to pay Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a combined S$370,000 ($275,113) in damages on Wednesday, over an article about the status of the home of his late father and the city-state's modern-day founder, Lee Kuan Yew. The premier filed lawsuits against writer Rubaashini Shunmuganathan and editor Xu Yuan Chen, also known as Terry Xu, over the August 2019 article published on The Online Citizen that included references to a disagreement within the Lee family about what to do with the property.
High court judge Audrey Lim said the article "impugned Lee's reputation and character" by alleging he was dishonest. "This struck at the heart of Lee's personal integrity and could severely undermine his credibility, not just personally but also as the prime minister, and call into question his fitness to govern with integrity," Lim said in a written judgement. Xu, a Singaporean, was ordered to pay Lee S$210,000, while in a separate suit over the same article, Malaysian Rubaashini was ordered to pay S$160,000. Neither immediately responded to requests for comment.
Lee appeared in court here in the case in May, during which he said "sensational allegations" had been made. Lee's press secretary in a statement on Wednesday said the damages awarded would be donated to charity. Senior figures in the ruling People's Action Party, including Lee Kuan Yew, have also sued foreign media and political opponents for defamation, calling it defence of their reputations. In April, an activist here and a financial advisor here separately turned to crowdfunding in Singapore to raise tens of thousands of dollars to pay Lee damages after the premier sued both for defamation. Some activists, including the New York-based Human Rights Watch, say such moves are stifling freedom of speech and political opposition. ($1 = 1.3449 Singapore dollars).
PM Lee Hsien Loong awarded $210,000 in damages against TOC editor Terry Xu and writer
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was awarded a total of $210,000 in damages in his defamation suit against The Online Citizen (TOC) editor Terry Xu Yuanchen and his writer, Rubaashini Shunmuganathan. In a judgment issued on Wednesday (1 September), Justice Audrey Lim also issued an injunction restraining Xu from further publishing or disseminating the false and defamatory allegations in TOC's 2019 article about 38 Oxley Road. The article was still accessible as of 2.30pm on Wednesday.
Following the judgment, Lee's press secretary said that he intends to donate to charity the damages he has been awarded. Xu's lawyer Lim Tean said in a Facebook post, "We are very disappointed with the judgment and I am discussing with Terry on the next course of action. "It is evident to me from a quick read of the 60-page judgment that the judge did not consider or understand the import of many relevant pieces of evidence which we put forward in the trial, which would have proven Terry’s defence," he added. Xu will crowd-fund to pay for the damages.
The article published on TOC’s website and Facebook page on 15 August 2019 was titled “PM Lee’s wife, Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”. It was written by Rubaashini, whom Lee also sought aggravated damages against in a separate suit. He was awarded $160,000 for this suit against Ruubashini and Xu, who were found jointly liable. For the suit that was solely against Xu, Lee was awarded $210,000, comprising $160,000 in general damages and $50,000 in aggravated damages.
PM Lee wins defamation suits, awarded S$210,000 in damages against TOC editor Terry Xu and writer
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and chief editor of The Online Citizen Terry Xu arrive at the Supreme Court on Nov 30, 2020 for the defamation trial. (Photos: Nuria Ling/TODAY)
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was awarded S$210,000 by the High Court on Wednesday (Sep 1) in two separate defamation lawsuits against Terry Xu, the editor of socio-political website The Online Citizen (TOC), and Rubaashini Shunmuganathan, the writer of a TOC article.
In August 2019, TOC published an article written by Ms Rubaashini about Mr Lee's dispute with his siblings, Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang, over their family home at 38 Oxley Road. The article was found by Justice Audrey Lim to be defamatory, stating that the libel against Mr Lee was "grave and serious". "The defamatory remarks do not merely attack his personal integrity, character and reputation, but that of the PM, and damage his moral authority to lead Singapore," said Justice Lim in a 60-page judgment.
Justice Lim also granted an injunction that Mr Lee had sought, restraining Xu from further publishing or disseminating the defamatory allegations in the article. “As usual, PM Lee intends to donate to charity the damages he has been awarded," Mr Lee's press secretary Chang Li Lin said on Wednesday. In the first lawsuit against Mr Xu, Mr Lee was awarded S$160,000 in general damages and S$50,000 in aggravated damages, for a total of S$210,000.
Blogger Leong Sze Hian ordered to pay PM Lee $133,000 for defamation over sharing of article
PM Lee's lawyers had argued for $150,000 in damages in the defamation suit against blogger Leong Sze Hian. PHOTOS: ST FILE
The High Court has ordered blogger and financial adviser Leong Sze Hian to pay Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong $133,000 for defamation. The sum includes $100,000 in general damages and $33,000 in aggravated damages.
Mr Leong was sued for sharing, on his Facebook page, an article from the Malaysian news site The Coverage that falsely linked PM Lee to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal in Malaysia. Justice Aedit Abdullah said in a written judgment on Wednesday (March 24) that Mr Leong did so "without making any enquiries as to its truth whatsoever" and displayed "reckless disregard of whether the article was true or not".
The judge ruled that Mr Leong's sharing of the article amounted to publishing it, even though he did not add any captions or commentary. Mr Leong had contended that he was not responsible for publishing the article, as there was no evidence anyone clicked on it as a result of him sharing it. Justice Aedit noted that the link to the article, along with its headline and a photo, was the only substantive content of Mr Leong's Facebook post, and it would be artificial to draw a "bright-line distinction" between the article and the post.
PM Lee awarded $87,000 in legal costs for defamation suits against TOC editor, writer
The costs order came after PM Lee Hsien Loong (left) won his suits against Mr Terry Xu (right), the chief editor of The Online Citizen, and article author Rubaashini Shunmuganathan. PHOTOS: ST FILE
The High Court on Wednesday (Oct 13) awarded Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong more than $87,000 in legal costs for the defamation suits he filed over an article published on The Online Citizen (TOC).
The costs order came after PM Lee won his suits against Mr Terry Xu, the chief editor of the socio-political website, and Ms Rubaashini Shunmuganathan, the Malaysian author of the article that was published on Aug 15, 2019. High Court judge Audrey Lim last month awarded PM Lee $210,000 in damages. She found that the article was defamatory, as it imputed that PM Lee had been dishonest with his father, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
The article, titled "PM Lee's wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members", had quoted a Facebook post by PM Lee's sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling. Dr Lee's post asserted that Mr Lee Kuan Yew had been misled by PM Lee into believing the family house at 38 Oxley Road had been gazetted by the Government, causing him to change his will to bestow the house to PM Lee. Mr Xu had sought to justify the allegations in the article, arguing that they were true.
related: High Court awards PM Lee $210,000 in damages in defamation suits against TOC editor Terry Xu and article author
PM Lee awarded nearly S$88,000 in costs after winning defamation suits against The Online Citizen chief editor, writer
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and Mr Terry Xu (right), chief editor of The Online Citizen
Justice Audrey Lim held a hearing in chambers on costs in both suits after her ruling on Sept 1 in which she awarded S$210,000 in total damages to Mr Lee, who had sued Mr Xu and the article’s writer, Ms Rubaashini Shunmuganathan.
Mr Xu’s lawyer, Mr Lim Tean, put up a Facebook post after the hearing, detailing the court’s decision and appealing to members of the public to donate to Mr Xu’s crowdfunding campaign. The campaign has since reportedly raised more than S$210,000. TODAY has separately confirmed the court’s ruling on costs and disbursements.
Singapore Press Freedom worsen to 154th because of TRS and Roy Ngerng
Reporters without Borders (RSF) yesterday (April 22) published a damning report on Singapore’s press freedom with specific reference to the political persecution of The Real Singapore and defamation suit against Roy Ngerng. RSF lambaste Singapore’s censorship board, the Media Devlopment Authority (MDA), and the country’s oppressive censorship laws for repressing journalism in Singapore. You may view the official statement here.
“The Media Development Authority Act, the Films Act and the Broadcasting Act empower the Media Development Authority (MDA) to censor journalistic content, including online content. In April 2015, this government agency ordered the closure of The Real Singapore (TRS) news website because of content regarded as overly critical. Two of its alleged contributors were accused of “sedition,” which is punishable by 21 years in prison. Defamation suits are common in the city-state and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has personally brought prosecutions against bloggers.”
Earlier this year, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was awarded S$150,000 in damages for a defamation lawsuit he won in a default judgment against an online blogger who criticised him and his wife for conflict of interests. Lee Hsien Loong is both the Prime Minister and Chairman of the country’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF) company, GIC Pte Ltd. His wife, Ho Ching, is the CEO of Singapore’s other SWF company, Temasek Holdings. The two SWF companies borrow the country’s CPF fund at cheap interest rates as low as 2.5% under legislation approved by the Prime Minister himself, while reaping undisclosed profits from their investment returns.
Reporters without Borders (RSF) yesterday (April 22) published a damning report on Singapore’s press freedom with specific reference to the political persecution of The Real Singapore and defamation suit against Roy Ngerng. RSF lambaste Singapore’s censorship board, the Media Devlopment Authority (MDA), and the country’s oppressive censorship laws for repressing journalism in Singapore. You may view the official statement here.
“The Media Development Authority Act, the Films Act and the Broadcasting Act empower the Media Development Authority (MDA) to censor journalistic content, including online content. In April 2015, this government agency ordered the closure of The Real Singapore (TRS) news website because of content regarded as overly critical. Two of its alleged contributors were accused of “sedition,” which is punishable by 21 years in prison. Defamation suits are common in the city-state and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has personally brought prosecutions against bloggers.”
Earlier this year, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was awarded S$150,000 in damages for a defamation lawsuit he won in a default judgment against an online blogger who criticised him and his wife for conflict of interests. Lee Hsien Loong is both the Prime Minister and Chairman of the country’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF) company, GIC Pte Ltd. His wife, Ho Ching, is the CEO of Singapore’s other SWF company, Temasek Holdings. The two SWF companies borrow the country’s CPF fund at cheap interest rates as low as 2.5% under legislation approved by the Prime Minister himself, while reaping undisclosed profits from their investment returns.
Blogger who lost libel suit makes 1st payment to PM
An activist blogger who must pay libel damages in installments over the next 17 years to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made an initial payment Wednesday, his lawyer said.
Roy Ngerng, 34, a former government employee, forked out SG$30,000 (US$22,000) to pay the cost of a special hearing last July at which the libel damages were assessed.
He must pay another SG$150,000 in actual damages over a 17-year period under a deal announced Monday.
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Ngerng to pay S$150k damages in instalments, starting with S$100 from next month
Blogger Roy Ngerng will pay S$100 a month for 5 years, and S$1,000 a month subsequently, in damages awarded to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for defamation until the full sum of S$150,000 is paid.
In a hearing on Monday (Mar 14) to assess the damages, the lawyers of Ngerng and Mr Lee reached a settlement in relation to the terms of payment of the judgment sum, Ngerng’s lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam said.
Mr Thuraisingam said both sides had agreed late last week on terms to settle the costs payable (S$30,000) for the assessment of damages hearing, which Ngerng has to pay by Wednesday.
Singapore blogger to pay PM Lee libel damages
A 34-year-old Singaporean blogger ordered to pay USD 109,000 in damages to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for defaming him today struck a deal to make payments in instalments over the span of 17 years.
Roy Ngerng, a former health care coordinator at a hospital here, had written a blogpost in May 2014 allegedly accusing him of misappropriating state pension funds.
On December 17 last year, the Supreme Court ordered Ngerng to pay 150,000 Singaporean dollars (USD 109,000) in damages to Lee, 64, for defamation. This comprises 100,000 dollars in general damages and 50,000 dollars in aggravated damages.
related: Singapore Court orders local blogger to pay damages to PM Lee
Blogger in scramble to pay off PM
An activist blogger ordered to pay S$150,000 (HK$845,540) in libel damages to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make payments in installments over the next 17 years, his lawyer said yesterday.
Roy Ngerng, 34, a former government employee, was found guilty in November 2014 of defaming Lee after accusing him in a blog of misappropriating state pension funds.
Ngerng's lawyer, Eugene Thuraisingam, said that under an agreement with Lee, his client would pay S$30,000 by tomorrow to cover the costs of an assessment hearing.
Singapore blogger to pay $109,000 in libel damages to PM over 17 years
An activist blogger ordered to pay US $109,000 in libel damages to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make payments in instalments over the next 17 years, his lawyer said on Monday.
Roy Ngerng, 34, a former government employee, was found guilty in November 2014 of defaming Lee after accusing him in a blog of misappropriating state pension funds. Ngerng's lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam told AFP that under an agreement with the prime minister, his client would pay Sg dollars 30,000 by Wednesday to cover the costs of an assessment hearing.
To pay the actual damages he would then fork out US $100 a month for the next five years before the amount increases to USD 1,000 a month until the amount is paid, which would take a total of 17 years.
Roy Ngerng has to pay PM Lee $150k, makes a public call for donations - again
This morning, news broke about blogger Roy Ngerng's payment terms to PM Lee. To recap, he has to pay $150,000 over the course of 17 years, starting with $100 a month for five years.
And that's on top of the $30,000 he must fork out by this Wednesday to cover the cost of the Assessment of Damages hearing.
And that's on top of the $30,000 he must fork out by this Wednesday to cover the cost of the Assessment of Damages hearing.
His immediate reaction was to put up a Facebook post chronicling his experiences over the past 2 years. "I should have been careful with how I say things. I am thankful to have reached the settlement with the prime minister," he declared.
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Roy Ngerng to pay damages for defamation to PM Lee over 17 years
The lawyers of blogger, Roy Ngerng and Singapore Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong reached a settlement in relation to the terms of payment of the judgement sum at a hearing on Monday (14 March) to assess the damages.
Ngerng was accused of writing a blogpost in May 2014 allegedly comparing the Government’s usage of CPF monies to the City Harvest Church leaders’ alleged misuse of church funds.
On 17 December last year, the Supreme Court ordered Ngerng to pay S$150,000 in damages to Mr Lee for defamation. This comprises S$100,000 in general damages and S$50,000 in aggravated damages.
Singapore blogger to pay more than Dh400,000 in libel damages to PM over 17 years
An activist blogger, who was ordered to pay $150,000 Singaporean dollars (Dh400,404) in libel damages to Singapore prime pinister Lee Hsien Loong, will make payments in instalments over the next 17 years, his lawyer said Monday.
Roy Ngerng, 34, a former government employee, was found guilty in November 2014 of defaming Mr Lee after accusing him in a blog of misappropriating state pension funds.
Mr Ngerng’s lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam said that under an agreement with the prime minister, his client would pay Sgd$30,000 by Wednesday to cover the costs of an assessment hearing.
Blogger Roy Ngerng appeals for public donations to cover $180K damages and costs
Hello everyone, this is an update to the defamation suit with the prime minister.
I have to pay a total of S$180,000. (I have to pay him S$150,000 in damages and S$30,000 for the costs of the hearing.)
- I have to pay S$30,000 by this Wednesday.
- From April 1, I have to pay $100 every month for 5 years.
- After 5 years, from 2021, I have to pay $1,000 every month until I finish paying.
Besieged Singaporean Blogger Again Turns to Crowdfunding
Nearly two years ago, a now-34-year-old Singaporean blogger named Roy Ngerng intimated in his “Heart Truths” blog that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had diverted money from the country’s central provident fund.
In doing so, he unleashed a whirlwind that has cost him his job, got him sued for criminal libel and demonstrated the ominous power of the Lee family when its members believe they have been maligned. Barring unexpected windfalls, he will be paying the prime minister until he is 57 years old.
Ngerng became the first blogger to be sued in Singapore, joining a long list of international newspapers and magazines that have faced the wrath of the Lee family. As it has become clearer that Singapore’s courts are notoriously determined to back the Lees and the government, news organizations have meekly knuckled under, paid the fines and refrained from any critical reporting on the country.
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ICJ deplores S’pore govt’s practice of civil defamation suits to silence critics
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), an international human rights non-governmental organization, has issued a statement on Roy Ngerng’s case condemning the Singapore Government’s practice of civil defamation suits to silence critics. We reproduce their statement in full:
- Today, blogger Roy Ngerng will start making payments to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong following a civil defamation suit brought in 2014. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) reiterates that we deplore this practice by the Singapore government of using exorbitant and punitive civil defamation suits to silence its critics.
- Under terms of payment, Roy Ngerng will be paying the Prime Minister damages for the next several years of his life. This is unconscionable and clearly meant to cast a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Singapore.
Full Coverage:
Blogger Roy Ngerng pays $30000 in costs over defamation case
Blogger pays $30000 in costs over defamation case
Besieged Singaporean Blogger Again
Blogger Roy pays S$30000 in damage assessment costs over defamation case
Blogger who lost libel suit makes 1st payment to PM
Blogger who lost libel suit makes first payment to Singapore PM
Blogger who lost libel suit makes first payment to S'pore PM
Blogger can pay damages to PM in instalments
Blogger Roy Ngerng pays $30000 in costs over defamation case
Blogger pays $30000 in costs over defamation case
Besieged Singaporean Blogger Again
Blogger Roy pays S$30000 in damage assessment costs over defamation case
Blogger who lost libel suit makes 1st payment to PM
Blogger who lost libel suit makes first payment to Singapore PM
Blogger who lost libel suit makes first payment to S'pore PM
Blogger can pay damages to PM in instalments
Blogger asked to remove defamatory post about PM Lee
The decision of the High Court of Singapore ordering blogger Roy Ngerng to pay damages to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong following a civil defamation suit brought in 2014 constitutes a major blow for freedom of expression in the country, said the ICJ today.
In a judgment released on 17 December 2015, the High Court ordered Roy Ngerng to pay SG$100,000 in general damages (approximately US$70,667) and SG$50,000 (approximately US$35,330) in aggravated damages.
This decision comes approximately six months after a three-day hearing on assessment of damages took place.
