Singapore court orders Bloomberg to pay $356,000 to ministers in defamation case
Summary
A Singapore court has ordered Bloomberg and one of its reporters to pay about $356,000 to two government ministers for defamation. The ministers had sued over a 2024 article that linked their property transactions to secrecy and money laundering. The court ruled that the article implied the ministers were involved in wrongdoing.Key Facts
- The court ordered Bloomberg and reporter Low De Wei to pay S$460,000 (about $356,000) to ministers K Shanmugam and Tan See Leng.
- The 2024 article discussed secretive property deals involving expensive mansions called Good Class Bungalows.
- It mentioned minister Shanmugam selling a bungalow for S$88 million through a trust and minister Tan buying one via a deal that hides buyer details.
- Ministers claimed the article unfairly connected their deals to illegal activities like money laundering.
- Bloomberg said the story listed the ministers as examples and did not imply any wrongdoing.
- The judge ruled the article’s meaning suggested the ministers acted non-transparently to avoid scrutiny.
- Singapore’s anti-fake news law also required Bloomberg to add a correction notice to the article.
- Bloomberg removed the article from its website after the court’s decision.
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