High Court orders restrain further defamatory claims, while damages and costs are yet to be assessed.
SINGAPORE – Ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan have secured court injunctions against Mr Lee Hsien Yang over defamatory statements made in a Facebook post concerning their rental of black-and-white bungalows on Ridout Road.
The High Court’s decision, dated Nov 2 but released on Nov 27, prohibits Mr Lee from making further allegations that the ministers acted “corruptly and for personal gain.” Justice Goh Yihan also ordered a hearing to assess damages owed to the ministers and directed Mr Lee to cover their legal costs, which will be determined during the damages assessment.
Injunction Details
Justice Goh stated that the injunctions were granted under the Rules of Court, allowing for judgment against a defendant if they fail to file a notice of intention within the stipulated time. Such a notice signals whether a defendant plans to contest a claim.
Since Mr Lee did not file this notice, the court deemed the ministers’ defamation claims unchallenged. Justice Goh clarified that he could only evaluate whether the ministers established a cause of action and could not consider potential counterarguments from Mr Lee.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had previously investigated the ministers’ rentals and found no evidence of wrongdoing or preferential treatment. Despite this, Mr Lee’s July 23 Facebook post alleged misconduct, prompting legal action.
Legal and Arbitration Developments
Following the lawsuit’s initiation, Mr Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan demanded that Mr Lee apologize, retract his statements, and donate damages to charity. Instead, on Oct 5, Mr Lee proposed resolving the matter through independent arbitration.
In a social media post, he suggested appointing arbitrators of “high international standing,” including a retired Singapore Supreme Court judge as the ministers’ nominee. He proposed a confidential process, with the arbitration’s final and binding decision made public.
Arbitration, as defined by the Law Society of Singapore, involves resolving disputes outside the courts through binding decisions made by agreed-upon arbitrators. However, there has been no indication that the ministers agreed to this suggestion.
Next Steps
The High Court has instructed that hearings to determine damages proceed. Until then, Mr Lee remains barred from making further defamatory statements regarding the ministers’ conduct.
