🔥 Trending Singapore Ministers Shanmugam and Tan See Leng Awarded Legal Costs in Bloomberg

In a recent development, Bloomberg and its journalist Low De Wei have been ordered to pay significant damages and legal costs to Singaporean ministers K. Shanmugam and Tan See Leng, following a successful defamation lawsuit ¹².

Background of the Case

The defamation suit stemmed from an article published by Bloomberg titled "Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy" ⁵. The High Court found that the article had defamed the ministers by linking their property transactions to a S$3 billion money laundering scandal and implying that they preferred to keep their purchases "under the radar" ⁴. The High Court ruled that Bloomberg had acted with 'malice' in publishing the article ⁵.

Damages Awarded

On July 14, 2026, the court ordered Bloomberg and its reporter to pay S$230,000 in damages to each minister ¹⁷. This means a total of S$460,000 in damages for both K. Shanmugam, who is the Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, and Tan See Leng, who serves as the Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) ¹⁸.

Legal Costs

In addition to the damages, Bloomberg and its journalist were also ordered to pay S$290,000 in legal costs to the ministers ²⁵. This translates to S$145,000 in legal costs for each minister ³⁶. This costs order came approximately two weeks after the damages were awarded ⁸.

The total financial implication for Bloomberg and its reporter, including both damages and legal costs, amounts to S$750,000 (S$460,000 in damages + S$290,000 in legal costs).