Singapore Ministers Serve Legal Papers via Facebook: Lee Hsien Yang's Defamation Battle Unfolds

The core of the issue revolves around allegations made by Lee Hsien Yang on his Facebook page in July. Mr. Shanmugam and Mr. Vivian Balakrishnan have since decided to take legal action against him. However, there's a twist in how they plan to serve him with defamation papers.

Given Mr. Lee's current residence in the United Kingdom (UK), the ministers' lawyers have applied to serve him the legal papers through Facebook. This unusual approach is based on the impracticality of serving the papers in person due to Mr. Lee's overseas location.

Substituted service through Facebook is a unique and intriguing development in this case. The plaintiffs' lawyers argue that serving the papers via Facebook Messenger is likely to be effective in bringing the court papers to Mr. Lee's attention. This includes sending a Portable Document Format (PDF) file to his profile page via Facebook Messenger.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time social media has been used for serving legal papers in Singapore. In 2016, the High Court ruled that plaintiffs could use platforms like Facebook, Skype, or internet message boards for service if the defendant couldn't be reached in person. This sets a precedent for the current case.

The most recent development is that the Supreme Court has heard the plaintiffs' cases. The court's hearing list on the Singapore Courts' website confirms this. Previously, Mr. Lee received lawyers' letters in July, asking for an apology and damages, following his Facebook post on July 23.

If Mr. Lee loses the case and refuses to pay for damages, he could face bankruptcy and the seizure and sale of his local assets. This adds a significant dimension to the legal battle.

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