Singapore court awards 2 ministers S$230,000 each in Bloomberg libel case
Why it matters: The judge found malice, citing false claims and Bloomberg’s removal of the paywall to widen the article’s reach.
Singapore’s High Court awarded Cabinet ministers K. Shanmugam and Tan See Leng S$230,000 each after ruling that Bloomberg and reporter Low De Wei had maliciously defamed them in a December 2024 article about luxury bungalow deals. Justice Audrey Lim found the story falsely suggested the ministers structured property transactions to avoid scrutiny, including possible money laundering, and said some information was known to be false or was published recklessly. The judge also treated Bloomberg’s decision to remove the paywall as evidence of malice because it broadened access to the article. The case centered on transactions involving Good Class Bungalows in Queen Astrid Park and Brizay Park.