Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Wins a Big Defamation Battle
In what feels like a courtroom drama straight out of a legal thriller, the High Court of Singapore filed a verdict that left Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong walking away with a tidy $210,000 for two separate lawsuits against The Online Citizen (TOC).
The Setup
- Lee sued TOC chief‑editor Terry Xu and Malaysian author Rubaashini Shunmuganathan for a 2019 article titled “PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members.”
- The piece quoted a Facebook post from the PM’s sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, claiming that his father, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, had been lied to about the government having “gazetted” the family house on 38 Oxley Road.
- Rubaashini didn’t even show up in court, resulting in a default judgment for Lee.
What the Judge Said
Justice Audrey Lim delivered a 64-page judgment on September 1, finding that Xu’s allegations were “implausible” and that the evidence pointed to the opposite:
- Lee “supported Lee Kuan Yew’s wish to demolish the house in respect of his father’s desires.”
- He was also concerned that the family wouldn’t profit from the site’s redevelopment to avoid the appearance that it was being sold for money.
- While Lee did inform his father that the Cabinet might want to preserve the house, he didn’t mislead him into thinking it had already been gazetted.
The Verdict
The judge awarded:
- £160,000 in general damages (the bulk of the sum)
- £50,000 in aggravated damages for the extra sting of defamation
- An injunction preventing Xu from publishing any further false claims about Lee
Because both lawsuits were about the same article, the court ruled that Lee could claim the £160,000 from either Xu or Rubaashini, but not both – they’re jointly and severally liable.
What Lee’s Office Said
Ms Chang Li Lin, the PM’s press secretary, quipped that “as usual, the Prime Minister will donate the damages to charity.” Easy‑going and generous, that’s him.
Correction Note
The Straits Times originally mis‑reported the total as $370,000; the correct figure is $210,000. The PM can recover $160,000 from one of the defendants plus an extra $50,000 in aggravated damages.
