Singapore court orders Bloomberg to pay ministers $356,000 in defamation case

Singapore's high court has ordered Bloomberg News and reporter Low De Wei to pay S$460,000 (US$355,734) in damages to two government ministers for defamation. The ruling stems from a December 2024 article concerning expensive property transactions involving "good class bungalows" that mentioned the ministers. The court found the article's dominant purpose was to publish a story about the ministers' transactions, not just general trends. Bloomberg's editor-in-chief stated the company stands by its reporting, believing the ministers imposed a strained meaning on the story. The judge found the reporter was reckless and false in describing government records and that Bloomberg's actions in removing the paywall demonstrated malice.

Singapore's Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng will donate the defamation damages awarded to them to charity. On Tuesday, the High Court ruled in their favor, awarding each minister S$230,000 (US$178,000) after finding that Bloomberg and Low De Wei had defamed them in a July 2024 article concerning their property transactions. Both ministers stated that the lawsuit was initiated to protect their integrity, reputations, and the standing of their ministerial offices. They welcomed the court's judgment, which they believe vindicated their positions and affirmed the defamatory nature of the article's allegations.

Singapore's High Court has ordered Bloomberg to pay $356,000 in damages to ministers in a defamation case. The ministers sued over an article that cited their luxury bungalow deals, claiming it tarnished their reputation. High Court judge Audrey Lim ruled that the article's "natural and ordinary meaning" implied the ministers improperly used regulations for non-transparent property dealings to avoid scrutiny, including for potential money laundering. These assertions were deemed to directly impugn the ministers' integrity and reputation, leading to the damages award. Separately, Singaporean authorities, under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), ordered Bloomberg to issue a correction notice on the article, which Bloomberg complied with while stating it stood by its reporting.

Singapore's High Court has awarded two cabinet ministers, K. Shanmugam and Tan See Leng, S$230,000 (approximately US$177,860) each in damages. This decision follows a defamation trial concerning a story published by Bloomberg and its reporter Low De Wei. The ministers had filed separate lawsuits in January of the previous year. The article in question, titled "Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy," reported on property transactions involving the two officials. Specifically, it mentioned Shanmugam's sale of a bungalow using a trust structure and Tan's purchase of a good class bungalow.