On Tuesday, July 14th, 2026, Singapore’s Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng declared they would donate to charity the damages awarded to them in their defamation lawsuit against Bloomberg.

The High Court awarded each minister S$230,000 (US$178,000) after finding that Bloomberg and Low De Wei had maliciously defamed them in a July 2024 article concerning their property transactions.

In separate social media posts published hours after the judgment, the ministers emphasized that the lawsuit was about protecting their integrity, reputations, and the standing of their ministerial offices. Tan See Leng welcomed the court’s decision, stating it “affirmed that the allegations conveyed by the article were defamatory” and vindicated his position. He wrote, “From the outset, this case has been about protecting my integrity and reputation, and the standing of the office I hold.”

Both ministers reiterated their commitment to donate the damages to charity, with Shanmugam confirming his intention and Tan See Leng reaffirming his previous statement to do the same.

Sources

South China Morning Post World