Singapore ministers awarded S$145,000 each in legal costs after Bloomberg defamation win

Singapore's Senior Minister K Shanmugam and Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng have been awarded S$145,000 (US$112,000) each in legal costs following their successful defamation lawsuit against Bloomberg and its reporter, Low De Wei. This follows an earlier court ruling this month that found a December 2024 Bloomberg article concerning Good Class Bungalow (GCB) transactions defamatory to the ministers.

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Singapore's ultra-rich are increasingly cloaking their purchases of mansions in the city-state in secrecy.

Previously, Bloomberg and reporter Low De Wei were ordered to pay S$230,000 in damages to each minister. The court's decision on legal costs was detailed in an extract of the notes of proceedings, showing awards for pre-trial, trial, and post-trial work. Each minister received S$50,000 for pre-trial preparations, S$65,000 for the trial itself, and S$30,000 for post-trial activities.

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Bloomberg and Mr Low had contested the claims, saying the article was about broader trends in Singapore's GCB market rather than about the ministers personally, or any wrongdoing on their part.

The Bloomberg article in question began by stating that Singapore's ultra-rich were increasingly concealing their purchases of mansions. It referenced a S$3 billion money laundering scandal and mentioned that buyers of high-end homes preferred to operate discreetly. The article then named Dr Tan and Mr Shanmugam, linking their GCB transactions to these broader themes of secrecy and opacity.

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However, the judge rejected this argument, saying that the article - when read as a whole - linked the ministers' transactions with claims about secrecy, opacity and money laundering, creating a defamatory impression.

Bloomberg and Mr. Low had argued that the article focused on general market trends rather than targeting the ministers personally or suggesting any wrongdoing on their part. However, the judge rejected this defense, ruling that the article, when read in its entirety, created a defamatory impression by connecting the ministers' transactions with claims of secrecy and money laundering. The judge also dismissed Bloomberg's reliance on the public interest defense, known as the Reynolds defense in UK law, stating it is not applicable under Singaporean law. Bloomberg declined to comment on the court's order regarding legal costs.

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She also rejected Bloomberg's reliance on a public interest defence known as the Reynolds defence in UK law, saying it is not part of Singapore law.