Singapore blogger crowdfunds $99,000 to pay PM damages in defamation case
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Singaporean blogger said on Monday he had raised S$133,000 ($98,840) via crowdfunding on social media to cover damages he was ordered to pay Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a defamation case filed by the city-state’s leader.
Lee’s lawyers have said such links were “false and baseless”. Leong had deleted the November 2018 Facebook post within three days of sharing it, complying with a government request.
“I am very happy, very grateful,” he told Reuters on Monday.
Leong made the announcement on Facebook late on Sunday, when he posted: “It is finished. All paid for.”
Senior figures in the ruling People’s Action Party, including Lee’s late father and the founder of modern-day Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, have previously sued foreign media, political opponents and online commentators for defamation.
