Leong Sze Hian receives generous gifts as a “boost to attend court” and face PM Lee’s defamation claim

Prominent blogger Leong Sze Hian revealed yesterday that he received a generous gift from a well-wisher as a boost when he attends court to face the defamation claim Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has filed against him.

The gift, which consists of an angpow, ginseng, birds’ nest, abalone and essence of chicken, was left at his doorstep by a well-wisher who reportedly told him, “boosters for you to attend court!” 66-year-old Leong told one local website:

“Am so grateful to this well-wisher as well as the thousands who have sent me messages of support and encouragement. Surprises like this really make my day and helps to keep me going. I am so touched by the greetings that I get almost wherever I go. I can’t wait for the trial to start, so that I can have ginseng, birds’ nest, chicken essence, etc, every morning before I go to court!”

Earlier, PM Lee commenced legal proceedings against Leong for defamation after the latter shared an article on his Facebook page that alleged that the head of government helped launder 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds.

Leong, who initially said that he was “bewildered” by PM Lee’s actions, later said that he is fighting the claims against him in court and also filed a counterclaim against PM Lee for “abusing the process of the court in bringing the claim against me.”

According to CNA, PM Lee’s lawyer Davinder Singh applied to strike out the counterclaim by Leong earlier, “on the ground that it has no basis in law and is completely hopeless”.

Leong then applied to strike out PM Lee’s original defamation claim against him on the basis that it is “scandalous, frivolous and vexatious; and/or may prejudice, embarrass or delay the fair trial of the action; and/or is an abuse of the process of the Court”.

Both sides will return to court on 25 Feb and appear before a judge who is set to hear both applications to strike out the other’s claims.