Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has been ordered by the High Court to pay SGD 200,000 (approximately Rs 1.2 crore) each to Indian-origin ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan for defamation. This judgment follows Lee Hsien Yang’s allegations on Facebook regarding the ministers’ rental of state properties.
Justice Goh Yihan, in a judgment released on Friday, awarded the damages to the two ministers who filed separate defamation claims. Lee Hsien Yang, the youngest son of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, the late Lee Kuan Yew, made comments suggesting the ministers received preferential treatment from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) in renting properties on Ridout Road.
Lee Hsien Yang’s Facebook post on July 23 last year implied corruption, stating that trust in the People’s Action Party (PAP) had been shattered due to then-PM Lee Hsien Loong’s “failure of leadership”. These comments followed the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s (CPIB) findings, which had previously cleared the ministers of any wrongdoing or preferential treatment.
Lee Hsien Yang did not appear in court to defend himself. K Shanmugam, the Law and Home Affairs Minister, and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, represented by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, briefly took the stand earlier this month.
Justice Goh Yihan noted that Lee Hsien Yang “consciously chose not to respond” to the claims and had no legal representation to contest the assessment of damages. “They are public leaders and persons of the highest integrity who undoubtedly have a high standing. Accordingly, this is a factor that points towards the award of higher damages,” Justice Goh Yihan stated, as quoted by Channel News Asia.
The judge also considered Lee Hsien Yang’s significant social media presence, with over 89,000 followers, as a factor justifying higher damages. He concluded that Lee Hsien Yang acted with malice, knowing his statements were false or published recklessly.
The CPIB investigation had found no evidence of preferential treatment or personal gain by the ministers, confirming that necessary works on the Ridout Road properties were in line with conservation guidelines and general practices.
Justice Goh Yihan referred to past defamation cases involving high-ranking officials, noting that general and aggravated damages awarded in such cases have increased over the decades. Besides the damages, Lee was ordered to pay SGD 51,000 in costs to each minister.
This ruling underscores the seriousness of defamation involving public figures and the integrity of Singapore’s legal system in addressing such claims.
