Shanmugam, Tan See Leng sue Bloomberg and reporter for defamation
Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 27 Feb 2025
Author: Samuel Devaraj
Suit centres on statements published in article concerning ministers' property transactions.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng have filed defamation suits against Bloomberg and one of its journalists.
The claims were filed on Jan 6.
Checks by The Straits Times on Feb 26 showed that a case conference for the suit involving the media company and reporter Low De Wei will be held in the Supreme Court on March 3.
It comes two months after Dr Tan and Mr Shanmugam said they would act against Bloomberg and other media outlets for publishing statements which the ministers considered libellous concerning their property transactions.
The statements appeared in a Dec 12 Bloomberg article on good class bungalow (GCB) transactions in Singapore with the headline, “Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy”.
The article was written by Mr Low, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, has been a real estate reporter at Bloomberg since September 2021.
The article focused on GCB deals inked from January to early December 2024, as measured by value, using findings derived from data compiled by Bloomberg News and List Sotheby’s International Realty.
It mentioned property transactions involving Dr Tan and Mr Shanmugam.
In identical Facebook posts on Dec 16, the ministers said Bloomberg’s article was libellous. They added that they would be issuing letters of demand in relation to the article after taking legal advice.
They also said they would be taking similar action against others who have published libellous statements about those transactions.
Checks by The Straits Times showed that Dr Tan and Mr Shanmugam are represented by a team of lawyers from Davinder Singh Chambers including Mr Davinder Singh, Mr David Fong and Mr Bryan Wong.
Mr Remy Choo Zheng Xi, Mr Chua Shi Jie and Mr Donaven Foo from RCL Chambers Law are representing Bloomberg and Mr Low.
Correction directions were issued against Bloomberg under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act on Dec 23, 2024, in relation to the article.
The Ministry of Law said the false statements in Bloomberg’s article “attack the transparency of property transactions in Singapore” and “give the impression that Singapore does not have a robust legal framework to require disclosure of information to the Government in GCB transactions”.
Bloomberg subsequently put up a correction notice on the article but said it had done so under the threat of sanction.
“Bloomberg respectfully disagrees with it, and reserves its right to appeal and challenge the Correction Direction. We stand by our reporting,” it added.
The Edge Singapore, The Independent Singapore and The Online Citizen (TOC) were also issued correction orders for carrying in part or in full the statements published in the Bloomberg piece.
In an article on its website on Feb 25, TOC chief editor Terry Xu claimed that there had been no legal action initiated against either Bloomberg or himself.
In a statement issued on Feb 26, Dr Tan and Mr Shanmugam said the claim was filed on Jan 6, 2025.
The ministers added: “TOC should, at the very least, verify the facts rather than reporting irresponsibly.”
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
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