SINGAPORE: Manpower Minister Tan See Leng and Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam have filed applications against news organisation Bloomberg and one of its journalists for defamation.
According to the court website, the cases are fixed for case conferences on Mar 3.
Bloomberg ran an article, titled “Singapore Mansion Deals Are Increasingly Shrouded in Secrecy”, which spoke about Good Class Bungalow (GCB) transactions in Singapore, on Dec 12, 2024. The article, written by Mr Low De Wei, mentioned Mr Shanmugam and Dr Tan.
It became the subject of a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction order, which was issued to several entities in December last year.
Both ministers considered the piece libellous and indicated on Dec 16 that they would be issuing Letters of Demand to Bloomberg and other outlets that reproduced the article in whole or in part.
The Edge, which reproduced the article on its website, apologised to the two ministers and removed the article.
Mr Shanmugam and Dr Tan are represented by a team of lawyers, including Davinder Singh from his eponymous firm.
Bloomberg and its journalist are represented by lawyers from RCL Chambers Law Corporation, including Mr Choo Zheng Xi, Mr Chua Shi Jie and Mr Donaven Foo.
