According to reports, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s press secretary, Ms Chang Li Lin said in a statement that he will testify in Court if the defamation suit he is filing against TOC’s editor Terry Xu goes to trial.
In a brief statement to the media, Ms Chang said that the suit was filed “because the allegations are completely false”, referring to the article that was published on TOC on 15 August which repeated allegations made by PM Lee’s siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling, about the 38 Oxley Road dispute.
Ms Chang added, “His [PM Lee’s] siblings can decide, together with Mr Xu, whether they too will testify, and repeat the allegations in court. The court can then establish the facts.”
On 10 September, Mr Xu said on Facebook that he has filed a memorandum of appearance with the High Court in response to a writ of summons and statement of claim filed by PM Lee’s lawyers against him on 5 September. This means Mr Xu is contesting the defamation suit.
Mr Xu also said he would be representing himself in Court “after much deliberation and consideration”.
About two weeks after the article in question was published, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) serve a letter to Mr Xu on 1 September demanding that he take down an article and Facebook post that repeated “several false allegations” and to issue a “full and unconditional apology”.
The article was immediately taken down the same day. However, Mr Xu then reinstated it three days later, saying that he did not feel that the contents of the article were defamatory.
Following that, PM Lee’s lawyers served Mr Xu with a writ of summons and statement of claim which says that the article has “gravely injured in his character and reputation”.
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