Singapore — Terry Xu, editor of the now defunct website The Online Citizen (TOC) accompanied by his lawyer, Lim Tean, handed over a DBS Bank cashier’s order for S$298,832.93 to Davinder Singh Chambers LLC representing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The sum represents the damages awarded to PM Lee plus legal costs.
In September 2021, the High Court had awarded PM Lee S$210,000 in damages: S$160,000 as general damages and S$50,000 as aggravated damages.
Then on Oct 13, PM Lee was also awarded more than S$87,832.93 in legal costs for the defamation suits he filed over an article published on TOC’s website.
Mr Lim Tean, of Carson Law Chambers, recorded the handover in a Facebook post in which he shows a photo of the cashier’s order as well as a letter that he wrote to PM Lee’s lawyer, Davinder Singh.
Mr Lim is also a politician. He founded and leads the three-year-old political party called People’s Voice. He set up the party in 2018 after quitting the National Solidarity Party in 2017. Ten candidates representing People’s Voice competed in the 2020 general elections.
The costs order came after PM Lee won his defamation suit against Terry Xu, chief editor of the socio-political website, and Rubaashini Shunmuganathan, a Malaysian woman who authored the offending article published on Aug 15, 2019.
In that letter, Mr Lim wrote: “Your client will know that every cent and every dollar of the monies being paid to you today come from 2,778 courageous and generous Singaporeans. Three times in a row, these wonderful Singaporeans answered freedom’s call to support their advocates and champions unstintingly”.
“As the monies being paid today come from many Singaporeans, your client will no doubt disclose in due course which charity he is donating the damages he receives, to.”
From the general damages, PM Lee could claim the S$160,000 sum from Xu or Rubaashini, but only Xu was liable to pay the aggravated damages of S$50,000.
Rubaashini did not defend the suit against her, and judgment in default was granted in favour of PM Lee. /TISG