SINGAPORE

In a dramatic turn of events, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng have accused Terry Xu, the chief editor of the socio-political website The Online Citizen (TOC), of orchestrating a public sympathy campaign amid an ongoing defamation lawsuit. This legal battle ignited when the ministers filed claims against Xu, whose full name is Xu Yuanchen, on January 6 of this year. The courts have permitted the ministers to serve court documents to Xu in Taiwan.

The lawsuit stems from an article featured on TOC that critiques a Bloomberg report titled 'Singapore Mansion Deals Are Increasingly Shrouded in Secrecy.' This Bloomberg piece, which raises significant transparency issues regarding Good Class Bungalow (GCB) transactions in Singapore, has already led to separate libel actions against Bloomberg and its journalist, Low De Wei.

In a nutshell, the ministers allege that Xu's writing contains defamatory content that has falsely portrayed them as part of a ‘transparent system’ manipulating property sales to avoid scrutiny. Both Shanmugam and Tan are in alignment in their legal strategy, employing a team from Davinder Singh Chambers led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, known for handling high-profile cases.

Interestingly, this is not the first legal confrontation for Xu, who lost a previous defamation suit against then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong concerning another TOC article about a family feud over a prominent property at 38 Oxley Road. Xu was ordered to pay SGD 210,000 (approx. USD 157,000) in damages to Lee.

In April 2022, Xu faced a district court sentencing of three weeks in jail for defaming Cabinet members. However, during the subsequent appeal, this was adjusted to an SGD 8,000 fine. By the time of the appeal, Xu had served the jail term and relocated to Taiwan, continuing his writing endeavors with TOC.

Hurdles in Serving Court Papers

The ongoing saga has witnessed ministers pursuing legal action across borders, with documents filed to serve Xu in Taiwan. They have detailed attempts to reach him through formal channels, necessitating official translations and affidavits supporting their claims. To date, however, Xu has yet to be formally served, stalling further proceedings.

In their Statements of Claims, Shanmugam and Tan assert that Xu has disseminated false allegations via multiple social media platforms, claiming that they have exploited legal mechanisms for privacy to conceal property transactions from the public eye. Such statements are characterized as 'false and baseless,' designed to tarnish the ministers' reputations and evoke public outrage.

The legal documents emphasize that the ministers have suffered significant damage to their reputations and character as a result of these claims. This includes an acute impact on their public image, leading to 'loss and damage.'

The Pressure Intensifies

The ministers have ramped up their legal pressure, demanding the removal of the offending article and a public apology, which Xu has thus far disregarded, further exacerbating the tension. They argue that by publicly branding their actions as 'suppressing legitimate journalism' through 'harassment,' Xu is not only waging a legal battle but also one for public opinion.

The anticipation builds as the next case conference is scheduled for April 1 in the Supreme Court, where the court is set to outline the procedural directions and establish a timeline for the exchange of documents. Will Xu continue to capture the public’s sympathy, or will the ministers successfully mitigate the damage to their reputations? Stay tuned for what unfolds next in this contentious saga!