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Leong Sze Hian/Terry Xu
- Thread starter ckmpd
- Start date
Wat if he gets sent to aljunied? Like tat better don't b a pappie
Theindependent
He raises S$35,O00 in 5 days, donors include PM's brother
FB screengrab: Leong Sze Hian
Author
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Singapore—Blogger Leong Sze Hian, whose legal and financial issues are not quite over, posted an excerpt of his recent defamation trial while appealing to the public to support his cause afresh.
Earlier this month, it took only 11 days for Mr Leong to raise the S$133,000 the High Court awarded as damages to PM Lee from a 2018 defamation suit. Over 2,000 donors chipped in.
He was even quoted in an international magazine as saying he was glad that the “two-year ordeal” was over.
However, on Apr 15, he took to Facebook to say that a fresh round of crowdfunding is now needed, as Prime Minister Lee is seeking legal costs (S$50,000) and disbursements (S$79,322.22) amounting to almost S$130,000 for the defamation case.
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Mr Leong was sued by the Prime Minister for sharing an article from The Coverage, a Malaysian news site, on Nov 8, 2018.
Five days into his new crowdfunding endeavor, he has raised S$35,015, with 536 people donating various amounts, including PM Lee’s own brother, Mr Lee Hsien Yang.
The younger Mr Lee sent Mr Leong a supportive message that read: “I was happy to be one of the many donors who came forward to help Leong to pay off the damages awarded by the court. It is very significant so many Singaporeans came forward to express their support.”
On Tuesday, Apr 20, he took to Facebook to share excerpts from the court transcripts of the first day of his trial, on Oct 6, 2020.
The excerpts were posted along with an illustration of his lawyer, Mr Lim Tean, asking questions of PM Lee.
The speech bubble coming from PM Lee’s mouth in the drawing reads, “The defendant has been a thorn in our side in a small way for a very long time.”
The excerpt showed that Mr Lim had asked PM Lee if he had sent a letter of demand to Mr Alex Tan of the States Times Review (STR) or to The Coverage, whose article Mr Leong had shared.
The article in The Coverage was taken from the STR site, owned by Mr Tan, who is based in Australia.
PM Lee answered “No” to both questions.
Mr Lim then said, “So you decided to allow the perpetrators of this defamation to go scot-free?”
PM Lee answered that STR and The Coverage were “were beyond our reach outside the jurisdiction”.
Mr Lim then asked him, “How can they be beyond your reach, Mr Lee, when in the TOC case against this Malaysian writer, you had the wherewithal to serve the writ of summons out of jurisdiction on her?”
The Prime Minister answered, “Well, in the TOC case, I’m not a lawyer, but the publication was in Singapore and the case is in Singapore.”
/TISG
He raises S$35,O00 in 5 days, donors include PM's brother
FB screengrab: Leong Sze Hian
Author
- Advertisement -
Singapore—Blogger Leong Sze Hian, whose legal and financial issues are not quite over, posted an excerpt of his recent defamation trial while appealing to the public to support his cause afresh.
Earlier this month, it took only 11 days for Mr Leong to raise the S$133,000 the High Court awarded as damages to PM Lee from a 2018 defamation suit. Over 2,000 donors chipped in.
He was even quoted in an international magazine as saying he was glad that the “two-year ordeal” was over.
However, on Apr 15, he took to Facebook to say that a fresh round of crowdfunding is now needed, as Prime Minister Lee is seeking legal costs (S$50,000) and disbursements (S$79,322.22) amounting to almost S$130,000 for the defamation case.
- Advertisement -
Mr Leong was sued by the Prime Minister for sharing an article from The Coverage, a Malaysian news site, on Nov 8, 2018.
Five days into his new crowdfunding endeavor, he has raised S$35,015, with 536 people donating various amounts, including PM Lee’s own brother, Mr Lee Hsien Yang.
The younger Mr Lee sent Mr Leong a supportive message that read: “I was happy to be one of the many donors who came forward to help Leong to pay off the damages awarded by the court. It is very significant so many Singaporeans came forward to express their support.”
On Tuesday, Apr 20, he took to Facebook to share excerpts from the court transcripts of the first day of his trial, on Oct 6, 2020.
The excerpts were posted along with an illustration of his lawyer, Mr Lim Tean, asking questions of PM Lee.
The speech bubble coming from PM Lee’s mouth in the drawing reads, “The defendant has been a thorn in our side in a small way for a very long time.”
The excerpt showed that Mr Lim had asked PM Lee if he had sent a letter of demand to Mr Alex Tan of the States Times Review (STR) or to The Coverage, whose article Mr Leong had shared.
The article in The Coverage was taken from the STR site, owned by Mr Tan, who is based in Australia.
PM Lee answered “No” to both questions.
Mr Lim then said, “So you decided to allow the perpetrators of this defamation to go scot-free?”
PM Lee answered that STR and The Coverage were “were beyond our reach outside the jurisdiction”.
Mr Lim then asked him, “How can they be beyond your reach, Mr Lee, when in the TOC case against this Malaysian writer, you had the wherewithal to serve the writ of summons out of jurisdiction on her?”
The Prime Minister answered, “Well, in the TOC case, I’m not a lawyer, but the publication was in Singapore and the case is in Singapore.”
/TISG
"No greater verdict" than the judgement of the people of Singapore: Leong Sze Hian decides not to appeal against High Court judgement in libel case - The Online Citizen Asia
Veteran blogger Leong Sze Hian, who lost a libel suit brought by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong against him over a Facebook share, has decided not to appeal against the High Court judgement in the case, as there is “no greater verdict” than that of the people of Singapore.
In a statement released through his lawyer Lim Tean’s firm Carson Law Chambers on Friday (23 Apr), Mr Leong said that the love and support he received from the people of Singapore “is far more valuable” to him than any possible successful appeal to a higher court.
Mr Leong, a financial adviser, had managed to raise over S$133,000 over 11 days as of 4 Apr from over 2,000 individuals to pay damages to PM Lee.
“Not only have they fully funded me for the $133,000 in damages which I was ordered to pay, I have also raised nearly $40,000 to cover the legal costs and disbursements of almost $130,000 that the Prime Minister is seeking against me,” his statement read.
Mr Leong said that he will “leave it to another person, in an appropriate forum” to convince the Singapore courts that the High Court decision was wrong.
“We must be a progressive nation, and archaic and outdated defamation laws should not be allowed to stifle our people’s free speech, innovation and creativity,” he added.
Leong to challenge claims for legal cost and disbursements
However, Mr Leong will be contesting the sum sought by PM Lee’s counsel for legal costs and disbursements.
The prime minister is seeking S$50,000 in legal costs and S$79,322.22 in disbursements, which comes up to a sum of S$129,327.
A significant portion of the amount sought for disbursements is derived from the engagement of Dr Phan Tuan Quang, PM Lee’s Hong Kong-based expert witness, at S$43,022.58.
Dr Phan is an associate professor of Innovation and Information Management at the University of Hong Kong who specialises in data.
At trial, he testified via Zoom that while he did not have the raw data from Mr Leong’s Facebook post, he said that he was given the screenshot of the post.
He said that he had provided a low conservative estimate based on past scientific research.
Mr Lim, in a letter dated 22 Apr to PM Lee’s counsel’s letter claiming cost and disbursements, submitted that the S$50,000 sought for legal cost against his client is “manifestly excessive”.
The cost, he said, should have been determined in line with the District Court’s scale, as the libel suit should have been commenced in the State Courts and not the High Court.
The cost that should be awarded to PM Lee thus should not amount to more than S$12,000, he added.
Similarly, the S$79,322.22 sought by PM Lee’s counsel for disbursements is also manifestly excessive, said Mr Lim.
He submitted that cost for the second day of trial should not have been allowed, as Justice Aedit Abdullah did not accept the evidence put forth by Dr Phan.
For the same reason, the court should also remove the bulk of disbursements intended for Dr Phan’s engagement, Mr Lim added.
Compelling Mr Leong to pay that particular part of disbursements, he said, would amount “to a penalty on him” and would be unfair.
Mr Lim also noted that Justice Aedit did not agree with PM Lee’s counsel that Mr Leong’s interview with Amnesty International in Hong Kong had aggravated the damages, and that consequently, the amount on this should not be allowed by the court.
The disbursements in this instance pertain to the translation cost of video recordings from the interview, from spoken Cantonese to English text.
The cost of the translations amount to S$3,980.40.
Background to Leong’s defamation case
Mr Leong was sued by PM Lee in 2018 for defamation over a Facebook share of an article alleging PM Lee’s involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
The blogger did not attach or insert any commentary at the time he shared the article.
Mr Leong took down the article at 7.30 am on 10 November 2018 after being instructed by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) to do so a day prior.
Prior to his removal of the post on 10 November, the court noted that Mr Leong’s article had garnered “22 ‘reactions’, five ‘comments’, and 18 ‘shares’”.
Just last month, the High Court ordered Mr Leong to pay PM Lee S$133,000 for defamation, which includes S$100,000 in general damages and S$33,000 in aggravated damages.
The amount of damages was made in reference to another blogger, Roy Ngerng’s case.
Justice Aedit found that the defamatory statement in the article shared by Mr Leong was worse compared to allegations made in Mr Ngerng’s case.
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Veteran blogger Leong Sze Hian, who lost a libel suit brought by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong against him over a Facebook share, has decided not to appeal against the High Court judgement in the case, as there is “no greater verdict” than that of the people of Singapore.
In a statement released through his lawyer Lim Tean’s firm Carson Law Chambers on Friday (23 Apr), Mr Leong said that the love and support he received from the people of Singapore “is far more valuable” to him than any possible successful appeal to a higher court.
Mr Leong, a financial adviser, had managed to raise over S$133,000 over 11 days as of 4 Apr from over 2,000 individuals to pay damages to PM Lee.
“Not only have they fully funded me for the $133,000 in damages which I was ordered to pay, I have also raised nearly $40,000 to cover the legal costs and disbursements of almost $130,000 that the Prime Minister is seeking against me,” his statement read.
Mr Leong said that he will “leave it to another person, in an appropriate forum” to convince the Singapore courts that the High Court decision was wrong.
“We must be a progressive nation, and archaic and outdated defamation laws should not be allowed to stifle our people’s free speech, innovation and creativity,” he added.
Leong to challenge claims for legal cost and disbursements
However, Mr Leong will be contesting the sum sought by PM Lee’s counsel for legal costs and disbursements.
The prime minister is seeking S$50,000 in legal costs and S$79,322.22 in disbursements, which comes up to a sum of S$129,327.
A significant portion of the amount sought for disbursements is derived from the engagement of Dr Phan Tuan Quang, PM Lee’s Hong Kong-based expert witness, at S$43,022.58.
Dr Phan is an associate professor of Innovation and Information Management at the University of Hong Kong who specialises in data.
At trial, he testified via Zoom that while he did not have the raw data from Mr Leong’s Facebook post, he said that he was given the screenshot of the post.
He said that he had provided a low conservative estimate based on past scientific research.
Mr Lim, in a letter dated 22 Apr to PM Lee’s counsel’s letter claiming cost and disbursements, submitted that the S$50,000 sought for legal cost against his client is “manifestly excessive”.
The cost, he said, should have been determined in line with the District Court’s scale, as the libel suit should have been commenced in the State Courts and not the High Court.
The cost that should be awarded to PM Lee thus should not amount to more than S$12,000, he added.
Similarly, the S$79,322.22 sought by PM Lee’s counsel for disbursements is also manifestly excessive, said Mr Lim.
He submitted that cost for the second day of trial should not have been allowed, as Justice Aedit Abdullah did not accept the evidence put forth by Dr Phan.
For the same reason, the court should also remove the bulk of disbursements intended for Dr Phan’s engagement, Mr Lim added.
Compelling Mr Leong to pay that particular part of disbursements, he said, would amount “to a penalty on him” and would be unfair.
Mr Lim also noted that Justice Aedit did not agree with PM Lee’s counsel that Mr Leong’s interview with Amnesty International in Hong Kong had aggravated the damages, and that consequently, the amount on this should not be allowed by the court.
The disbursements in this instance pertain to the translation cost of video recordings from the interview, from spoken Cantonese to English text.
The cost of the translations amount to S$3,980.40.
Background to Leong’s defamation case
Mr Leong was sued by PM Lee in 2018 for defamation over a Facebook share of an article alleging PM Lee’s involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
The blogger did not attach or insert any commentary at the time he shared the article.
Mr Leong took down the article at 7.30 am on 10 November 2018 after being instructed by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) to do so a day prior.
Prior to his removal of the post on 10 November, the court noted that Mr Leong’s article had garnered “22 ‘reactions’, five ‘comments’, and 18 ‘shares’”.
Just last month, the High Court ordered Mr Leong to pay PM Lee S$133,000 for defamation, which includes S$100,000 in general damages and S$33,000 in aggravated damages.
The amount of damages was made in reference to another blogger, Roy Ngerng’s case.
Justice Aedit found that the defamatory statement in the article shared by Mr Leong was worse compared to allegations made in Mr Ngerng’s case.
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Lim Tean
Why Should Leong Sze Hian Pay For Lee Hsien Loong’s Expert?
The MSM love to describe persons as “experts” when they are trying to justify a certain position which the “experts” can agree with. Look at the recent U-turn on the ban of travellers from India. On Wednesday, they suggested that experts were of the view that the additional SHN would pick up virtually all Covid cases from India. The very next day ( Thursday ), Lawrence Wong and the Taskforce dramatically altered course and slapped on the ban. So what changed in 24 hours ? Are the “experts” so expert after all?
I for one have never been dazzled by so called “experts”. For 17 years of my legal career, I was heavily involved with shipping cases. In almost every shipping trial or arbitration I handled, the other side would invariably trot out an “expert” to bolster their case on technical issues. Taking on experts in court became a regular feature of my work. I found out that I could often easily discredit and outwit an expert on his evidence. I can’t remember a single case where the other side won a case based on their “expert” evidence.
The same thing happened in the Leong Sze Hian libel trial. Lee Hsien Loong presented an “expert” in the form of Dr Phan Tuan Quang, who used to teach and research at NUS but now teaches and researches in Hong Kong.
On the 2nd day of trial, and with Lee Hsien Loong watching on, I quite easily took apart and discredited Dr Phan’s evidence in cross-examination. The Judge concluded in his judgment that Dr Phan’s evidence was “somewhat speculative” and did not accept any part of his evidence.
Despite this, Lee Hsien Loong is now asking the Court to award him all of the expenses associated with Dr Phan. Dr Phan’s expenses come up to a whopping $45 987.03 by my calculations. This is a substantial part of the total $79 322.22 of disbursements which Lee Hsien Loong wants Leong Sze Hian to pay.
Why should Sze Hian have to pay even one cent of Dr Phan’s expenses when his evidence was discredited and not accepted by the Court? Otherwise it will amount to a penalty on Sze Hian. I have already made my objections known to the judge in my written response filed on 22 April.
All kelong and kaki lang lah. Same as Gillian Koh the 'expert' who always gets interview time whenever it concerns Sinkie politics.
Chinese terms: 专家，观察者 (observers), 业者 ('industry insiders'), 相关者 (relevant people, stakeholders) .... etc
Totalitarian shithole and de facto one party rule. This is the result.
I believe that the costs and disbursements associated with his expert witness should not be allowed.
The Singapore media tends often to interview two so called experts regarding politics in SG. That lady and that gentleman may be Professors and academics, but I do not believe that they are really independent or experts.All kelong and kaki lang lah. Same as Gillian Koh the 'expert' who always gets interview time whenever it concerns Sinkie politics.
Chinese terms: 专家，观察者 (observers), 业者 ('industry insiders'), 相关者 (relevant people, stakeholders) .... etc
Totalitarian shithole and de facto one party rule. This is the result.
CND resident political anaylsts/commentators are Dr.Gillian Koh and Prof. Eugene Tan (SMU).
Pinky is able to play the long game..and as I have said b4... donor fatigue has set in..
Lee Hsien Loong's lawyers issue ultimatum to Leong Sze Hian to pay $262,357 by 17 May for defamation damages, cost and disbursements - The Online Citizen Asia
Lawyers for the Singapore Prime Minister has given a deadline of 17 May for blogger and financial adviser, Leong Sze Hian to pay up $262,357 for the damages, cost and disbursements ordered by the court in the defamation suit between the two.
On Monday (10 May), the High Court granted the full claim of legal cost and disbursement, totalling S$129,327 to Mr Lee Hsien Loong.
“Having considered the arguments of the parties, the Court is satisfied that the appropriate costs payable by the Defendant is as follows: Costs of $50,000 to the Plaintiff plus disbursements claimed of $79,327.22.” wrote the court in a letter addressed to both parties on Monday (10 May).
Mr Leong had previously successfully raised the full damage of S$133,000 awarded to PM Lee through a crowd funding campaign in 11 days.
As for the cost and disbursements, he has so far managed to raise $65,032 over the span of 26 days. This means that a sum of S$64,295 has to be raised within the next five days.
Those who would like to donate to Mr Leong’s crowdfunding efforts may do so using the following details:
Account name: Leong Sze Hian
POSB Savings: 064064070
PayNow: S0009739Z
PayPal: [email protected]
Background to Leong’s defamation case
Mr Leong was sued by PM Lee in 2018 for defamation over a Facebook share of an article alleging PM Lee’s involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
The blogger did not attach or insert any commentary at the time he shared the article.
Mr Leong took down the article at 7.30 am on 10 November 2018 after being instructed by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) to do so a day prior.
Prior to his removal of the post on 10 November, the court noted that Mr Leong’s article had garnered “22 ‘reactions’, five ‘comments’, and 18 ‘shares’”.
Just last month, the High Court ordered Mr Leong to pay PM Lee S$133,000 for defamation, which includes S$100,000 in general damages and S$33,000 in aggravated damages.
The amount of damages was made in reference to another blogger, Roy Ngerng’s case.
Justice Aedit found that the defamatory statement in the article shared by Mr Leong was worse compared to allegations made in Mr Ngerng’s case.
On 23 Apr, Mr Leong decided not to appeal against the High Court judgement in the case, as there is “no greater verdict” than that of the people of Singapore.
In a statement released through his lawyer Lim Tean’s firm Carson Law Chambers on Friday (23 Apr), Mr Leong said that the love and support he received from the people of Singapore “is far more valuable” to him than any possible successful appeal to a higher court.
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Lee Hsien Loong's lawyers issue ultimatum to Leong Sze Hian to pay $262,357 by 17 May for defamation damages, cost and disbursements - The Online Citizen Asia
Lawyers for the Singapore Prime Minister has given a deadline of 17 May for blogger and financial adviser, Leong Sze Hian to pay up $262,357 for the damages, cost and disbursements ordered by the court in the defamation suit between the two.
On Monday (10 May), the High Court granted the full claim of legal cost and disbursement, totalling S$129,327 to Mr Lee Hsien Loong.
“Having considered the arguments of the parties, the Court is satisfied that the appropriate costs payable by the Defendant is as follows: Costs of $50,000 to the Plaintiff plus disbursements claimed of $79,327.22.” wrote the court in a letter addressed to both parties on Monday (10 May).
Mr Leong had previously successfully raised the full damage of S$133,000 awarded to PM Lee through a crowd funding campaign in 11 days.
As for the cost and disbursements, he has so far managed to raise $65,032 over the span of 26 days. This means that a sum of S$64,295 has to be raised within the next five days.
Those who would like to donate to Mr Leong’s crowdfunding efforts may do so using the following details:
Account name: Leong Sze Hian
POSB Savings: 064064070
PayNow: S0009739Z
PayPal: [email protected]
Background to Leong’s defamation case
Mr Leong was sued by PM Lee in 2018 for defamation over a Facebook share of an article alleging PM Lee’s involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
The blogger did not attach or insert any commentary at the time he shared the article.
Mr Leong took down the article at 7.30 am on 10 November 2018 after being instructed by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) to do so a day prior.
Prior to his removal of the post on 10 November, the court noted that Mr Leong’s article had garnered “22 ‘reactions’, five ‘comments’, and 18 ‘shares’”.
Just last month, the High Court ordered Mr Leong to pay PM Lee S$133,000 for defamation, which includes S$100,000 in general damages and S$33,000 in aggravated damages.
The amount of damages was made in reference to another blogger, Roy Ngerng’s case.
Justice Aedit found that the defamatory statement in the article shared by Mr Leong was worse compared to allegations made in Mr Ngerng’s case.
On 23 Apr, Mr Leong decided not to appeal against the High Court judgement in the case, as there is “no greater verdict” than that of the people of Singapore.
In a statement released through his lawyer Lim Tean’s firm Carson Law Chambers on Friday (23 Apr), Mr Leong said that the love and support he received from the people of Singapore “is far more valuable” to him than any possible successful appeal to a higher court.
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Book to be written on Leong Sze Hian’s crowdfunding success: ‘The Day People of Singapore Made History’
People urged to donate to blogger to meet demand to pay up by May 17
Anna Maria Romero
DATE
May 14, 2021
Singapore— Lawyer and opposition leader Lim Tean issued an invitation on Thursday morning (May 13) via a Facebook post for everyone to take part in the day “the People of Singapore Made History”.
The day in question: May 17, next Monday.
Mr Lim also wrote that a book with the same title will be written and published.
The book is the story of blogger and financial adviser Leong Sze Hian. He was sued by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for defamation over an article he shared from The Coverage, a Malaysian news site, on Nov 8, 2018.
On Mar 24, the High Court ordered Mr Leong to pay PM Lee S$133,000 in damages for defamation — S$100,000 in general damages and $33,000 in aggravated damages.
Mr Leong turned to crowdfunding to raise the amount needed, and was successful in attracting such high-profile donors as Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of PM Lee, as well as opposition leaders Mr Chiam See Tong and his wife, Ms Lina Chiam.
In just 11 days, Mr Leong raised S$133,000 from 2,000 people.
However, Mr Leong appealed again for donations on Apr 15. PM Lee, he said, was seeking legal costs (S$50,000) and disbursements (S$79,322.22), which added up to almost S$130,000, on top of the damages.
As of Wednesday (May 12), he had raised $65,032 from 915 people.
He was being pressed to pay up, he said.
On Wednesday evening, he wrote that he had “just received the Prime Minister’s lawyers’ letter of demand to pay the $262,357 damages, cost and disbursements, by 5 pm, 17 May.”
Mr Lim, who is Mr Leong’s lawyer, is appealing for donations to make up the shortfall. He is calling May 17 significant to Singapore’s story. The book to be written about Mr Leong’s crowdfunding success, he adds, will be a “testament to the history of Singapore, the power of the masses as we claimed justice away from the elite few and back into the hands of our ordinary fellow Singaporeans.”
“Will YOU be a Part of this Book?,” asked the lawyer in his Facebook post on Thursday (May 13), acknowledging that more than 80 per cent of the money needed by Mr Leong has been raised.“History will be made on Monday 17th May 2021 as I hand deliver the cheque for full legal costs and damages awarded to Lee Hsien Loong by the court,” he added.
The book “should be on the shelf of every Singaporean, especially the younger generations at school, poly and university”, wrote Mr Lim.
He urged the public “on this holiday weekend” to donate money to Mr Leong. Those who are interested in donating may find details in Mr Lim’s post.
“100% of the donation goes directly to Sze Hian, there are no middlemen or platforms taking a cut,” he added.
Mr Leong’s efforts have been somewhat hampered as he has been banned from sharing links as well as sharing posts in groups for a few more days.
He has also faced considerable backlash for his crowdfunding efforts, having received a number of hate messages.
/TISG
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