Singapore ministers to donate Bloomberg defamation damages to charity

In separate social media posts published on Tuesday night, hours after the High Court delivered its judgment, the ministers reiterated that the lawsuit was about protecting their integrity and reputations, as well as the standing of their ministerial offices.

Earlier on Tuesday, the High Court awarded S$230,000 (US$178,000) in damages each to the ministers after finding that Bloomberg and Low De Wei had maliciously defamed them in a July 2024 article about their property transactions.

Shanmugam said he would donate the damages awarded to charity, while Tan said, as he had previously stated, he would also donate the damages to charity.

Tan said he welcomed the court’s judgment, which had “affirmed that the allegations conveyed by the article were defamatory” and vindicated his position.

“From the outset, this case has been about protecting my integrity and reputation, and the standing of the office I hold,” he wrote.