In a recent development, the High Court has granted default judgment in favor of ministers K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan against Mr. Lee Hsien Yang.
The amount of damages to be paid will be assessed at another hearing, according to The Straits Times.
This comes after Mr. Lee failed to respond to defamation suits filed by the ministers regarding Facebook comments he made about their rental of state bungalows in Ridout Road.
The case centers around allegations of corruption and preferential treatment, with Mr. Lee refusing to retract his statement posted on a July 23 Facebook post despite a letter of demand from the ministers.
The Defamation Suit
Mr. Lee’s Facebook comments accused the ministers of corrupt conduct and personal gain through preferential treatment from the Singapore Land Authority.
The amount of damages is yet to be assessed, but the court has granted an injunction preventing Mr. Lee from further disseminating false allegations.
Justice Goh noted Mr. Lee’s persistent references to the Facebook post and his reluctance to take it down. The court observed that the post accused the ministers of leasing state-owned mansions for personal gain, contributing to the need for legal intervention.
The ministers filed separate defamation suits in August, and due to Mr. Lee being outside Singapore, court papers were served via Facebook messenger in September.
Justice Goh Yi Han granted default judgment in favour of the two ministers as well as granting an injunction to restrain Lee from publishing any more defamatory allegations, after the latter had failed to respond to the defamation suits against him.
Recap
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan have taken a decisive step against Lee Hsien Yang, accusing him of defamation. The dispute revolves around false allegations made by Mr. Lee concerning Ridout Road, which Lee has since been issued with a POFMA order.
Ministers Responded with Legal Action
On 27th July, Lee Hsien Yang received a POFMA (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act) order for his Facebook post, which contained certain claims about Ridout Road. The ministers, Shanmugam and Balakrishnan, assert that the statements made by Mr. Lee are false and defamatory.
Mr. Lee accused the ministers of acting corruptly for personal gain by allegedly receiving preferential treatment from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). According to him, the SLA allowed the ministers to fell trees illegally without proper approval and that the SLA paid for renovations the 26 and 31 Ridout Road properties rented by the ministers.
In response to these serious accusations, K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan decided to take legal action against Lee Hsien Yang. On 27th July, they sent lawyers’ letters to Mr. Lee, demanding an apology, withdrawal of the allegations, and payment of damages, which will be donated to charity. The ministers have asserted that the allegations are entirely false and damaging to their reputation and integrity.
Joint statement by K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan
[Defamatory statements by Lee Hsien Yang]
Minister Shanmugam/Vivian and I have sent lawyers’ letters to Lee Hsien Yang for defaming us.
Lee Hsien Yang has accused us of acting corruptly and for personal gain by having Singapore Land Authority give us preferential treatment by illegally felling trees without approval, and also having the SLA pay for renovations to 26 and 31 Ridout Road. These allegations are false.
We have asked him to apologise, withdraw his allegations and pay damages, which we will donate to charity.
If he does not do so, we will sue him.
POFMA direction previously issued to Lee Hsien Yang
Issuance of Correction Direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act to Lee Hsien Yang
On 23 July 2023, Mr Lee Hsien Yang published a post on his Facebook page, which made untrue statements that:
a) The State paid for the renovations to 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road because the properties were leased by Ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan.
b) Trees at 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were allowed to be felled because the properties were leased by Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan.
c) SPH Media Trust fraudulently inflated its circulation numbers.
The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong has instructed for a Correction Direction, under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), to be issued to Mr Lee Hsien Yang. Mr Lee Hsien Yang will be required to carry the correction notice, stating that the Facebook post contains false statements of fact.
Clarifications on the False Statements
Firstly, Mr Lee Hsien Yang made an untrue statement that the State paid for the renovations to 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road because the properties were leased by Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan. The identity of the tenants had no bearing on the decision on the works to be carried out on the properties. The post
omits important information that the works done were in keeping with the Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) practice, and were assessed to be necessary in the circumstances, as explained by Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong in Parliament on 3 July 2023.
a) SLA invests a significant amount in maintaining conserved properties, which include 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road. SLA has spent similar, or even larger, amounts on other Black and White bungalows, consistent with conservation requirements (see Factually article in paragraph 6).
b) Most of the costs incurred for 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were for works that external consultants had determined to be necessary, in light of the condition of the properties and to comply with the relevant conservation requirements. The remaining costs were incurred as part of the usual works done before the
commencement of a tenancy to ensure that the property is habitable.
Secondly, Mr Lee Hsien Yang made the statement that the trees at 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were allowed to be felled because the properties were leased by Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan. This is untrue. The identity of the tenants had no bearing on the felling of the trees at the properties. All decisions to fell trees with a girth size of more than one metre were made following inspections by independent arborists, and safety issues were identified. Where approval was required for any trees to be felled, such approval was obtained from the National Parks Board (NParks). The reasons for the felling of the trees at both properties have been explained by the Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong in Parliament on 3 July 2023.
Thirdly, Mr Lee Hsien Yang also made the statement that SPH Media Trust fraudulently inflated its circulation numbers. This is untrue. The overstatement of circulation numbers happened when the media business was under SPH Limited – a listed company. This was before SPH Media Trust was incorporated. When SPH Media Trust took over SPH Limited’s media business, it discovered, reported, and investigated the circulation issue. The Government’s funding agreement to build up public service media capabilities was signed with SPH Media Trust, and not SPH Limited. The funding quantum was based on SPH Media Trust’s transformation needs, and not the circulation numbers.
Publication of Correction Notice
As required by the Correction Direction, Mr Lee Hsien Yang must publish correction notice on the said post on his Facebook page. The correction notice will provide a link to the Factually article, which lays out the facts and clarifications on the matter, at the following link: https://www.gov.sg/article/factually250723.
MINISTRY OF LAW
25 JULY 2023