SINGAPORE — Lee Hsien Yang, youngest son of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, has called on the public to consider why two Cabinet min
SINGAPORE — Lee Hsien Yang, youngest son of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, has called on the public to consider why two Cabinet ministers have chosen to sue him for defamation in Singapore instead of the United Kingdom, where he currently lives and where the alleged defamatory statement was published.
This public question came shortly after news broke that Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had filed a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Lee in response to a Facebook post he made, which referenced their rental of two state-owned bungalows. Both ministers demanded a public apology, retraction, and damages, with Shanmugam stating, “Lee Hsien Yang has accused us of acting corruptly and for personal gain… These allegations are false.”
The Singapore Government also issued a correction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), stating that Mr. Lee’s post contained false information. Though Mr. Lee complied by adding a correction, he posted again, asserting his stance and inviting the ministers to sue him in the UK if they were confident in their claims.
The ministers’ legal teams have applied for substituted service to serve court papers via Facebook Messenger, a method permitted by Singaporean courts when in-person service proves challenging. Lawyers from Davinder Singh Chambers, representing the ministers, noted that delivering the documents digitally would likely alert Mr. Lee to the legal proceedings.
Mr. Lee reiterated his stance, stating, “I invited ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan to sue me in the UK, where I made the statement that upset them. Instead, they have chosen to commence legal action in Singapore.” He added, “It is for the public to judge their reasons.”
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