Singapore ex-PM's brother fined $296,000 for defaming Indian-origin ministers
Lee Hsien Yang, brother of former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has been ordered by the high court to pay SGD200,000 ($148,000) each to Indian-origin ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan. The ruling was in response to defamation claims filed by the ministers over comments made by Lee on his Facebook page in July last year. The comments suggested that the ministers had acted corruptly in their rental of state properties in an affluent Singapore suburb.
Why does this story matter?
The ministers filed separate defamation claims against Lee over his comments suggesting that the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) gave them preferential treatment in the rental of Ridout Road properties. These comments were made after an investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) found no evidence of wrongdoing or preferential treatment given to Shanmugam and Balakrishnan. The controversy erupted at a time when Singaporeans were facing high living costs and soaring housing and car prices.
Court explains reasons for awarding damages
The allegations "go towards their personal integrity, professional reputation, honor, and core attributes of their personalities," Justice Goh Yihan said. He stated that Lee had "consciously chosen not to respond" to the claims and did not appear in court to defend himself against the allegations. Consequently, Lee cannot contest his liability for defamation as he did not turn up or find a lawyer to represent him on the assessment of damages.
Damages determined based on past defamation cases
Justice Goh also found that Lee had "acted with malice" in posting the offending words. Justice Goh referred to previous cases of defamation involving Cabinet or prime leaders to determine the proper amount of damages. He noted that damages awarded to a prime minister have ranged from "SGD230,000 to SGD260,000 in the 1980s to sums in excess of SGD300,000 in the last 20 years." The court eventually awarded S$150,000 in general damages and S$50,000 in aggravated damages to each minister.
