Bloomberg ordered to pay defamation damages to Singapore ministers
Singapore's High Court has ordered Bloomberg to pay damages to two government ministers for a defamatory article regarding luxury property deals. The court ruled that the article implied the ministers engaged in non-transparent transactions to avoid scrutiny.
Why it matters
This ruling highlights the legal risks for international media outlets reporting on government officials in jurisdictions with strict defamation laws.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's High Court ordered the Bloomberg news agency on Tuesday (July 14) to pay S$230,000 (US$178,000) in damages each to two senior government ministers in a defamation case linked to a report on luxury property deals.
Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng filed the suits against the US-based global news organisation and its reporter Low De Wei in January 2025, alleging the article had harmed their reputations.
The story, headlined "Singapore Mansion Deals Are Increasingly Shrouded in Secrecy", looked at top-range houses called Good Class Bungalows and claimed many purchases did not have legal filings, making the deals harder to track.
The story referred to transactions involving the two cabinet ministers.
Justice Audrey Lim ruled in a written judgment released on Tuesday that the article had defamed the ministers.
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