The High Court of Singapore on July 14, 2026, awarded Cabinet ministers K. Shanmugam and Tan See Leng each S$230,000 in damages after ruling in their favor in a defamation suit against Bloomberg and its journalist. The case stemmed from a 2023 article that the court found to contain defamatory statements about the ministers' conduct in a property transaction.
Justice Goh Yihan delivered the judgment, stating that the Bloomberg article had falsely implied that the ministers had acted improperly in relation to a land deal involving the Singapore Land Authority. The court noted that the article's claims were not supported by evidence and had damaged the ministers' reputations.
Bloomberg and its journalist were ordered to pay the damages and to issue an apology. The defendants have indicated they may appeal the decision. The case has drawn attention to media accountability in Singapore.
