Wed Feb 26 07:17:22 UTC 2025: ## Singapore Ministers Sue Bloomberg Over Defamation
**Singapore, February 26, 2025** – Two Singaporean ministers, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, have filed defamation suits against Bloomberg and one of its journalists, Low De Wei. The case, which centers on a Bloomberg article concerning the ministers’ rental of state-owned bungalows, will be heard in the Supreme Court on March 3.
The ministers initiated legal action two months after a December 12, 2024 Bloomberg article titled “Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy” detailed Good Class Bungalow (GCB) transactions. The ministers claim the article contained libellous statements regarding their property transactions.
Following legal advice, the ministers issued identical Facebook posts on December 16, 2024, declaring the article libellous and announcing their intention to pursue legal action. On December 23, 2024, correction directions were issued against Bloomberg under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act. The Ministry of Law stated the article falsely attacked the transparency of Singaporean property transactions and implied a weak legal framework for GCB disclosure.
While Bloomberg subsequently published a correction, the company stated this was under duress and maintained its stance on the reporting, reserving the right to appeal. Three other media outlets also received similar correction orders for publishing content from the Bloomberg article. The legal battle highlights ongoing tensions between the Singaporean government and media outlets over reporting on high-profile property transactions.
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