Singapore opposition politician crowdfunds US$98,840 to pay PM Lee Hsien Loong in defamation case

A court on March 24 ordered Leong Sze Hian of the Peoples Voice Party to pay Lee US$98,840 for sharing on Facebook an article linking him to Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal

Leong’s lawyer said over 2,000 people had donated to a crowdfunding campaign on social media to raise the full amount

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Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:34pm, 5 Apr 2021Updated: 2:16pm, 6 Apr 2021

A lawyer for the Singapore opposition politician ordered by a court to pay Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong S$133,000 (US$98,840) for defamation said he had raised enough cash from donations to fully cover damages.

Leong Sze Hian of the Peoples Voice Party was ordered on March 24 to pay S$133,000 to Lee for posting a link to a Malaysian news site that alleged the city state’s leader had helped launder 1Malaysia Development Berhad funds.

Since then more than 2,000 people had donated to a crowdfunding campaign on social media to raise the full amount, Lim Tean, Leong’s lawyer, said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Lim had posted several appeals on Facebook in recent weeks asking for donations to be made directly to a bank savings account.

“A new Singaporean has emerged,” Lim said. “Every citizen can now have the confidence that their fellow men will be their shield and bulwark against those who attempt to suppress their speech.”

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment, according to a Bloomberg report.

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