Legal action arises from allegations related to Ridout Road properties
On September 7, 2023, Singapore’s Cabinet ministers K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan applied to serve defamation court papers to Lee Hsien Yang, the younger son of Singapore’s founding prime minister, via Facebook Messenger. This legal move comes after Lee publicly made allegations regarding the rental of two state-owned bungalows on Ridout Road by the ministers. The ministers argue that Lee’s statements, posted on his Facebook page, were defamatory, suggesting that they had received preferential treatment, including tree felling and state-sponsored renovations.
The application for service via Facebook was filed after it became impractical to serve Lee personally in Britain, where he resides. Substituted service, which includes sending documents through email, posting on the defendant’s premises, or using other methods when personal service fails, was proposed by their lawyers. In this case, they argue that Facebook Messenger would likely be an effective way to bring the court papers to Lee’s attention, as the platform has been deemed valid for service in past legal cases.
The ministers are seeking damages and an injunction to stop Lee from further disseminating the allegedly false and defamatory claims. They contend that the statements are “baseless” and intended to harm their reputations. In July, after receiving letters from the ministers’ lawyers, Lee maintained on his Facebook that he was merely stating facts and challenged them to sue him in the UK. However, the ministers argue that Singapore is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case, as the allegations relate to events in Singapore and were republished within the country.
The application for substituted service was made following a previous court ruling on August 16, granting permission to serve the papers out of jurisdiction in the UK. The case is ongoing, with the ministers seeking to ensure their legal rights are upheld.
