Leong Sze Hian, financial consultant and veteran blogger, has applied to the High Court to strike out Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s defamation claim against him.
He is basing his application on the grounds that PM Lee’s case is scandalous, may prejudice the fair trial of the action and an abuse of the process of the Court.
Last year, PM Lee sued the veteran Singaporean blogger for defamation over a Facebook share he made on his Facebook profile. Subsequently, Leong filed a countersuit against PM Lee for the abuse of the process of the Court.
After Mr Leong filed the counterclaim, PM Lee’s lawyers made an application to strike out the counterclaim “on the ground that it has no basis in law and is completely hopeless”.
In response, Lim Tean, who is representing Leong in his defence and countersuit, said that he will be filing an application to strike out PM Lee’s claim for abuse of process of the court.
On Monday (21 January), lawyers for PM Lee and Leong attended the Pre-Trial Conference before the Assistant Registrar and fixed the hearing of PM Lee and Leong’s application on 25 Feb.
The lawyers will return to court on 31 Jan for another Pre-Trial Conference to finalise the schedule for the hearing of the applications.
