The Singapore High Court has ordered Bloomberg News and one of its reporters, Low De Wei, to pay S$460,000 in damages after ruling that they defamed Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng. In a judgment delivered on July 14, 2026, Justice Audrey Lim awarded each minister S$230,000, comprising S$170,000 in general damages and S$60,000 in aggravated damages. The case centered on a December 2024 article titled "Singapore Mansion Deals Are Increasingly Shrouded in Secrecy," which examined the use of trusts and shell companies in luxury property transactions.
Justice Lim found that the article, when read as a whole, created a defamatory impression by linking the ministers' lawful property transactions to allegations of secrecy, opacity, and potential money laundering. The court rejected Bloomberg's defense that the ministers were merely cited as newsworthy examples of broader market trends. Instead, the judge determined that the article's dominant purpose was to focus on the ministers' specific deals, using a narrative about secrecy as a cover to imply they had engaged in questionable practices to avoid scrutiny.
The court also found evidence of malice, noting that the reporter knew certain information was false or published it with reckless disregard for the truth. Additionally, the judge highlighted that Bloomberg's decision to remove the paywall for the article was a deliberate move to increase public access to the defamatory content. The court further clarified that the "Reynolds privilege" defense, often used in UK law to protect responsible journalism, is not recognized in Singapore.
Following the ruling, both ministers stated they would donate the damages to charity. They emphasized that the lawsuit was not about personal gain but about protecting their integrity, the reputation of their offices, and ensuring that media reporting remains fair and accurate. Bloomberg expressed disappointment with the judgment, maintaining that its reporting was accurate and served the public interest, though it did not immediately confirm plans for an appeal.