Singapore blogger ordered to pay PM S$133,000 for defamation

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean blogger was yesterday ordered to pay S$133,000 in damages for defaming the prime minister by sharing an article on Facebook linking the leader to a corruption scandal.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had accused Leong Sze Hian of spreading false claims about him over the article on the moneylaundering scandal of Malaysia’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

Critics said the case was the latest example of the tightly-regulated city-state’s government being heavy-handed and seeking to silence dissent online.

Singapore’s leaders frequently turn to the courts to take on critics, ranging from political opponents to foreign media outlets, and insist such action is necessary to protect their reputations.

High Court judge Aedit Abdullah found in Lee’s favour and ordered Leong to pay him S$133,000. Lee had sought S$150,000.

Leong’s lawyer, Lim Tean, described the verdict as a “wrong and deeply flawed decision”.

Lee took the stand at the start of the trial in October and accused Leong of making “malicious and baseless” allegations, which had undermined the government’s “integrity and honesty”.

The article that Leong shared, originally published by a news portal in Malaysia, alleged that Lee was the target of an investigation in Malaysia over 1MDB.

Billions of dollars were looted from the investment firm in a scandal that involved Malaysia’s former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his inner circle.

Leong’s lawyer Lim had argued that the libel suit was unnecessary as authorities had already denied the allegations, adding that the prime minister had “picked on the defendant when there were many others” who had shared the defamatory article.

Rights groups frequently accuse Singapore authorities of resorting to tough laws to silence criticism.