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Chitchat Ah Loong kenna sue....
- Thread starter tanwahtiu
- Start date
PM Lee sues blogger Leong Sze Hian for defamation over sharing of article
Channel NewsAsiaFinancial adviser and blogger Leong Sze Hian is being sued by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for defamation.
Published07 DECEMBER, 2018
UPDATED 07 DECEMBER, 2018
A pre-trial conference for the case is expected to take place on Jan 7.
The article, titled "Breaking News: Singapore Lee Hsien Loong Becomes 1MDB's Key Investigation Target - Najib Signed Several Unfair Agreements With Hsien Loong In Exchange for Money Laundering", was carried on Malaysian website The Coverage on Nov 7.
The article was originally published by the States Times Review two days earlier, but it was the version by The Coverage that Mr Leong, 65, shared on Facebook on Nov 7, without any accompanying caption.
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A letter from PM Lee's lawyers Drew and Napier to Mr Leong, dated Nov 12, stated that Mr Leong's public post and article "contain allegations that are highly defamatory of our client".
According to the statement of claim, the post that Mr Leong shared showed a photo of PM Lee with Najib Razak, who has been charged for criminal offences including money laundering in relation to 1MDB.
The offending words in the article meant that PM Lee "corruptly used his position as Prime Minister to help Mr Najib Razak launder 1MDB's billions", the document continued.
Also libellous was the allegation that PM Lee was "complicit in criminal activity relating to 1MDB", the lawyers charged.
These are "false and baseless, and were calculated to disparage and impugn the plaintiff in his office as the prime minister", they said in the statement of claim.
The lawyers noted that Mr Leong made the post available to the public, including 5,000 friends and 149 followers, drawing 18 shares as of Nov 8 evening.
They asked Mr Leong to publish an apology within three days of the date of the letter and to provide a written offer of damages and costs, among other requirements.
On Wednesday (Dec 5), Mr Leong addressed the lawsuit in a public Facebook post, saying that he complied with a notice from the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Nov 10 to take down the offending post within six hours.
Mr Leong, who blogs regularly about various topics including CPF, healthcare and education, claimed that he had not added any comments or embellished the article, but "merely shared it".
He also posted photos of a writ of summons and other court papers that he said were posted on his front gate on Tuesday.
In response to media queries, PM Lee’s press secretary confirmed that the prime minister had commenced legal proceedings against Mr Leong for defamation.
“The matter is in the hands of Mr Lee’s lawyers,” she said. She added that PM Lee “reserves the right to take legal action against other parties who similarly defame him”.
Mr Leong did not respond to Channel NewsAsia’s requests for comment.
GOVERNMENT ACTION AGAINST ARTICLE
The move is the latest in a series of actions taken over the article. On Nov 8, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said it had filed a police report against the author of the States Times Review article.
States Times Review founder Alex Tan refused to take down the article and the website was later made inaccessible as IMDA directed Internet service providers to restrict access to it.
Mr Tan said he planned to shut down the site and continue life in Australia, while IMDA asked Facebook to take down the article. Facebook declined.
The States Times Review Facebook page is still active, although it has been converted to "Singapore Herald" after Mr Tan claimed he had been approached by someone in Canada who wanted to take over the page.
Mr Singh had represented PM Lee in 2014 when he sued blogger Roy Ngerng for defamation.
Ngerng was ordered to pay the prime minister S$150,000 in damages, which his lawyer said would be in instalments, beginning from S$100 a month until April 2021, when he will pay S$1,000 a month until the compensation is complete. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
For more stories like this, visit Channel NewsAsia.
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https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...eong-sze-hian-defamation-over-sharing-article
Published07 DECEMBER, 2018
UPDATED 07 DECEMBER, 2018
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- https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...ong-sze-hian-defamation-over-sharing-article#
- https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...ong-sze-hian-defamation-over-sharing-article#
A pre-trial conference for the case is expected to take place on Jan 7.
The article, titled "Breaking News: Singapore Lee Hsien Loong Becomes 1MDB's Key Investigation Target - Najib Signed Several Unfair Agreements With Hsien Loong In Exchange for Money Laundering", was carried on Malaysian website The Coverage on Nov 7.
The article was originally published by the States Times Review two days earlier, but it was the version by The Coverage that Mr Leong, 65, shared on Facebook on Nov 7, without any accompanying caption.
ADVERTISEMENT
A letter from PM Lee's lawyers Drew and Napier to Mr Leong, dated Nov 12, stated that Mr Leong's public post and article "contain allegations that are highly defamatory of our client".
According to the statement of claim, the post that Mr Leong shared showed a photo of PM Lee with Najib Razak, who has been charged for criminal offences including money laundering in relation to 1MDB.
The offending words in the article meant that PM Lee "corruptly used his position as Prime Minister to help Mr Najib Razak launder 1MDB's billions", the document continued.
Also libellous was the allegation that PM Lee was "complicit in criminal activity relating to 1MDB", the lawyers charged.
These are "false and baseless, and were calculated to disparage and impugn the plaintiff in his office as the prime minister", they said in the statement of claim.
The lawyers noted that Mr Leong made the post available to the public, including 5,000 friends and 149 followers, drawing 18 shares as of Nov 8 evening.
They asked Mr Leong to publish an apology within three days of the date of the letter and to provide a written offer of damages and costs, among other requirements.
On Wednesday (Dec 5), Mr Leong addressed the lawsuit in a public Facebook post, saying that he complied with a notice from the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Nov 10 to take down the offending post within six hours.
Mr Leong, who blogs regularly about various topics including CPF, healthcare and education, claimed that he had not added any comments or embellished the article, but "merely shared it".
He also posted photos of a writ of summons and other court papers that he said were posted on his front gate on Tuesday.
In response to media queries, PM Lee’s press secretary confirmed that the prime minister had commenced legal proceedings against Mr Leong for defamation.
“The matter is in the hands of Mr Lee’s lawyers,” she said. She added that PM Lee “reserves the right to take legal action against other parties who similarly defame him”.
Mr Leong did not respond to Channel NewsAsia’s requests for comment.
GOVERNMENT ACTION AGAINST ARTICLE
The move is the latest in a series of actions taken over the article. On Nov 8, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said it had filed a police report against the author of the States Times Review article.
States Times Review founder Alex Tan refused to take down the article and the website was later made inaccessible as IMDA directed Internet service providers to restrict access to it.
Mr Tan said he planned to shut down the site and continue life in Australia, while IMDA asked Facebook to take down the article. Facebook declined.
The States Times Review Facebook page is still active, although it has been converted to "Singapore Herald" after Mr Tan claimed he had been approached by someone in Canada who wanted to take over the page.
Mr Singh had represented PM Lee in 2014 when he sued blogger Roy Ngerng for defamation.
Ngerng was ordered to pay the prime minister S$150,000 in damages, which his lawyer said would be in instalments, beginning from S$100 a month until April 2021, when he will pay S$1,000 a month until the compensation is complete. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
For more stories like this, visit Channel NewsAsia.
ADVERTISEMENT
https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...eong-sze-hian-defamation-over-sharing-article
Lee Hsien Yang donates money to blogger facing defamation suit
TODAY file photos and FacebookMr Lee Hsien Yang said that he gave a “meaningful sum” to blogger Leong Sze Hian, who is facing a defamation suit filed by the Prime Minister.
Published27 DECEMBER, 2018
UPDATED 27 DECEMBER, 2018
Responding to TODAY’s queries on Thursday (Dec 27), the younger Mr Lee said that he gave Mr Leong a “meaningful sum”.
Sign up for TODAY’s newsletter service on any of these platforms. Tap here:
WhatsApp Telegram Email
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When pressed further on the amount, he replied: “It is not S$1.”
Asked why he donated to Mr Leong’s legal fund, Mr Lee said: “Surely it needs no explanation?”
His son, Mr Li Shengwu, is facing legal action from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, for contempt of court over a private Facebook post he made on July 15 last year.
In the post that Mr Li claimed was shared only with friends, he wrote that the Singapore Government was "litigious" and has a "pliant court system".
The comments accompanied a Wall Street Journal article he was sharing on the public dispute that his father and his aunt Lee Wei Ling had with PM Lee over the Oxley Road family house that belonged to the late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was Mr Li's grandfather.
Mr Leong launched a crowdfunding campaign earlier this week to raise funds for his legal fees, telling sociopolitical website The Online Citizen that he hopes to have 10,000 people contributing S$1 each.
On Wednesday (Dec 26), he filed his defence and counterclaim against the Prime Minister, arguing that the defamation suit is an “abuse of the process of the court”.
A pre-trial conference for the case is expected to take place on Jan 7.
Mr Leong is represented by lawyer and opposition party leader Lim Tean of Carson Law Chambers, while PM Lee is represented by lawyers from Drew and Napier.
PM Lee had filed the libel suit on Nov 12, after Mr Leong shared an article alleging that PM Lee had helped Malaysia’s former premier Najib Razak to launder money from the country’s state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
In a statement of claim, PM Lee’s lawyers noted that Mr Leong’s public post and the article "contain allegations that are highly defamatory of our client".
In his defence, Mr Leong said that the post was up on his Facebook page for less than three days, as he had removed it after receiving a takedown notice from the Infocomm and Media Development Authority.
In his counterclaim, he argued that the libel suit is “not a real and substantial tort” as the false allegations against PM Lee were already in the public domain, and his Facebook post on the article had not gained much traction.
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lee-hsien-yang-donates-money-blogger-facing-defamation-suit
Published27 DECEMBER, 2018
UPDATED 27 DECEMBER, 2018
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- https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lee-hsien-yang-donates-money-blogger-facing-defamation-suit#
- https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lee-hsien-yang-donates-money-blogger-facing-defamation-suit#
Responding to TODAY’s queries on Thursday (Dec 27), the younger Mr Lee said that he gave Mr Leong a “meaningful sum”.
Sign up for TODAY’s newsletter service on any of these platforms. Tap here:
WhatsApp Telegram Email
ADVERTISEMENT
When pressed further on the amount, he replied: “It is not S$1.”
Asked why he donated to Mr Leong’s legal fund, Mr Lee said: “Surely it needs no explanation?”
His son, Mr Li Shengwu, is facing legal action from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, for contempt of court over a private Facebook post he made on July 15 last year.
In the post that Mr Li claimed was shared only with friends, he wrote that the Singapore Government was "litigious" and has a "pliant court system".
The comments accompanied a Wall Street Journal article he was sharing on the public dispute that his father and his aunt Lee Wei Ling had with PM Lee over the Oxley Road family house that belonged to the late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was Mr Li's grandfather.
Mr Leong launched a crowdfunding campaign earlier this week to raise funds for his legal fees, telling sociopolitical website The Online Citizen that he hopes to have 10,000 people contributing S$1 each.
On Wednesday (Dec 26), he filed his defence and counterclaim against the Prime Minister, arguing that the defamation suit is an “abuse of the process of the court”.
A pre-trial conference for the case is expected to take place on Jan 7.
Mr Leong is represented by lawyer and opposition party leader Lim Tean of Carson Law Chambers, while PM Lee is represented by lawyers from Drew and Napier.
PM Lee had filed the libel suit on Nov 12, after Mr Leong shared an article alleging that PM Lee had helped Malaysia’s former premier Najib Razak to launder money from the country’s state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
In a statement of claim, PM Lee’s lawyers noted that Mr Leong’s public post and the article "contain allegations that are highly defamatory of our client".
In his defence, Mr Leong said that the post was up on his Facebook page for less than three days, as he had removed it after receiving a takedown notice from the Infocomm and Media Development Authority.
In his counterclaim, he argued that the libel suit is “not a real and substantial tort” as the false allegations against PM Lee were already in the public domain, and his Facebook post on the article had not gained much traction.
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lee-hsien-yang-donates-money-blogger-facing-defamation-suit
Blogger Leong Sze Hian files defence and counterclaim against PM Lee
By FARIS MOKHTAR
FacebookBlogger Leong Sze Hian filed a counterclaim that the libel suit by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is an “abuse of the process of the court” because it is “not a real and substantial tort”.
Published26 DECEMBER, 2018
UPDATED 26 DECEMBER, 2018
Mr Leong is represented by lawyer and opposition party leader Lim Tean of Carson Law Chambers.
The libel suit was filed against Mr Leong on Nov 12, after he shared an article alleging that Mr Lee had helped Malaysia’s former premier Najib Razak to launder money from the country’s state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
A pre-trial conference for the case is expected to take place on Jan 7.
ADVERTISEMENT
The article, "Breaking News: Singapore Lee Hsien Loong Becomes 1MDB's Key Investigation Target - Najib Signed Several Unfair Agreements With Hsien Loong In Exchange for Money Laundering", was originally published by online site States Times Review on Nov 5 and picked up by Malaysian website The Coverage on Nov 7.
Mr Leong shared The Coverage’s post on his Facebook that same day, without any accompanying caption.
In a statement of claim, Mr Lee’s lawyers from law firm Drew and Napier noted that Mr Leong’s public post and the article "contain allegations that are highly defamatory of our client".
Mr Leong said in his defence that the post, which was made on or about 6.16pm on Nov 7, was only up for three days before he removed it at 7.30am on Nov 10. This was because he received a takedown notice from the Infocomm and Media Development Authority.
He also filed a counterclaim that the libel suit is an “abuse of the process of the court” because it is “not a real and substantial tort”.
Mr Leong pointed out that both the States Times Review and The Coverage — which published the article — have “significant circulations and readerships” that outstrip those of his Facebook page.
Government leaders had also come out to dismiss the article as fake news, he noted.
As such, the matter was already in public domain and his only involvement was to make available the article in The Coverage on his Facebook page “without embellishment or comment” for less than three days, Mr Leong said.
Furthermore, his Facebook post on the article did not gain much traction, he added.
It received only 22 reactions, five comments and 18 shares, which Mr Leong described as “minimal and inconsequential”.
He argued that “no damage could have been caused in the eyes of the very few people who read” the post, and that Mr Lee’s libel claim “cannot be said to be necessary”.
He asserted that the libel suit is meant to “chill freedom of expression” ahead of both Mr Najib’s trial next year and a General Election that could also take place that same year.
In response to media queries, Ms Chang Li Lin, the press secretary to the prime minister, said that the matter is before the courts and Mr Lee will “continue to take legal advice on developments”.
In a statement, Mr Leong’s lawyer Lim Tean said that he “did not hesitate for a moment in accepting the brief from Mr Leong”.
Mr Lim said: “Mr Leong did not choose to pick a fight, but now offers battle to uphold the freedom of expression in Singapore, a fundamental human right for which he has fought tirelessly for more than two decades.”
Mr Lim, 53, is himself facing legal woes, including a bankruptcy application for failing to repay a US$150,000 (about S$206,000) loan. The case is still ongoing.
A practising lawyer, Mr Lim is Cambridge-educated and was previously a partner at law firm Rajah and Tann. He later started his own firm Carson Law Chambers.
On Oct 31, Mr Lim’s new party called the People’s Voice was registered as the country’s 11th political party.
He was previously the secretary-general of the opposition National Solidarity Party (NSP), but left in 2017 after barely two years into the top post. Mr Lim joined the NSP in 2011.
https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...files-defence-and-counterclaim-against-pm-lee
By FARIS MOKHTAR
Published26 DECEMBER, 2018
UPDATED 26 DECEMBER, 2018
- 652 Shares
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- https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...iles-defence-and-counterclaim-against-pm-lee#
- https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...iles-defence-and-counterclaim-against-pm-lee#
Mr Leong is represented by lawyer and opposition party leader Lim Tean of Carson Law Chambers.
The libel suit was filed against Mr Leong on Nov 12, after he shared an article alleging that Mr Lee had helped Malaysia’s former premier Najib Razak to launder money from the country’s state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
A pre-trial conference for the case is expected to take place on Jan 7.
ADVERTISEMENT
The article, "Breaking News: Singapore Lee Hsien Loong Becomes 1MDB's Key Investigation Target - Najib Signed Several Unfair Agreements With Hsien Loong In Exchange for Money Laundering", was originally published by online site States Times Review on Nov 5 and picked up by Malaysian website The Coverage on Nov 7.
Mr Leong shared The Coverage’s post on his Facebook that same day, without any accompanying caption.
In a statement of claim, Mr Lee’s lawyers from law firm Drew and Napier noted that Mr Leong’s public post and the article "contain allegations that are highly defamatory of our client".
Mr Leong said in his defence that the post, which was made on or about 6.16pm on Nov 7, was only up for three days before he removed it at 7.30am on Nov 10. This was because he received a takedown notice from the Infocomm and Media Development Authority.
He also filed a counterclaim that the libel suit is an “abuse of the process of the court” because it is “not a real and substantial tort”.
Mr Leong pointed out that both the States Times Review and The Coverage — which published the article — have “significant circulations and readerships” that outstrip those of his Facebook page.
Government leaders had also come out to dismiss the article as fake news, he noted.
As such, the matter was already in public domain and his only involvement was to make available the article in The Coverage on his Facebook page “without embellishment or comment” for less than three days, Mr Leong said.
Furthermore, his Facebook post on the article did not gain much traction, he added.
It received only 22 reactions, five comments and 18 shares, which Mr Leong described as “minimal and inconsequential”.
He argued that “no damage could have been caused in the eyes of the very few people who read” the post, and that Mr Lee’s libel claim “cannot be said to be necessary”.
He asserted that the libel suit is meant to “chill freedom of expression” ahead of both Mr Najib’s trial next year and a General Election that could also take place that same year.
In response to media queries, Ms Chang Li Lin, the press secretary to the prime minister, said that the matter is before the courts and Mr Lee will “continue to take legal advice on developments”.
In a statement, Mr Leong’s lawyer Lim Tean said that he “did not hesitate for a moment in accepting the brief from Mr Leong”.
Mr Lim said: “Mr Leong did not choose to pick a fight, but now offers battle to uphold the freedom of expression in Singapore, a fundamental human right for which he has fought tirelessly for more than two decades.”
Mr Lim, 53, is himself facing legal woes, including a bankruptcy application for failing to repay a US$150,000 (about S$206,000) loan. The case is still ongoing.
A practising lawyer, Mr Lim is Cambridge-educated and was previously a partner at law firm Rajah and Tann. He later started his own firm Carson Law Chambers.
On Oct 31, Mr Lim’s new party called the People’s Voice was registered as the country’s 11th political party.
He was previously the secretary-general of the opposition National Solidarity Party (NSP), but left in 2017 after barely two years into the top post. Mr Lim joined the NSP in 2011.
https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...files-defence-and-counterclaim-against-pm-lee
The PAP dynasty (aka Lee dynasty) will rule SINKapore forever. Emperor Emeritus Lee will be there to ensure his son assumes the throne while the titular PM Gen Kee Chiu warm the seat for a few years.
Yes...the 70% agrees... next erection it will be 80% PAP support
What difference does losing in the eyes of the public make if they still vote for the PAP?
What difference does losing in the eyes of the public make if they still vote for the PAP?
3 years ago...yes. But the next one we shall see.
