The correct title is of course "Singapore's top leaders win defamation suit". So all you MNC CEO's out there can put the emergency red phone to your bosses overseas down.
If the Lee family actually ever lose a court case it would be the death nail in the coffin of authoritarianism in Singapore and an end to the lack of independence of the legislature, judiciary and the executive.
In order to defend themselves against the argument that the judiciary is not independent they should lose one case every two decades just to give themselves 'Plausible deniability'.
SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapore's prime minister and a senior Cabinet minister have won a defamation suit against the opposition Singapore Democratic Party after the group failed to file a defence, the High Court said Thursday.
The judgment came Wednesday in a closed door hearing, according to a court official who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with the High Court's policy.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father Lee Kuan Yew, a former prime minister and a current senior Cabinet minister, sued the opposition party and its leaders in April for allegedly defaming them in the party's newsletter by linking a scandal at a local charity to the ruling People's Action Party.
The SDP announced in May that it would not be defending itself in the lawsuit, meaning the Lees won by default.
Six of the SDP leaders named in the suit apologised and agreed to pay damages.
The damages to be paid will be decided at a later hearing.
Two other SDP leaders - Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan and his sister, central executive committee member Chee Siok Chin - are still fighting the defamation suit.
No date has been set for that hearing.
The lawsuit said articles in the January issue of the SDP newsletter linked a scandal at the National Kidney Foundation, Singapore's largest charity, to PAP governance.
Ruling party leaders have successfully sued several opposition politicians and journalists for defamation.
The leaders have said such actions are necessary to protect their reputations and clear the public record of false accusations.