TOC's Terry Xu to pay S$420,000 for defaming Shanmugam & Tan See Leng in GCB article

Chief editor of website The Online Citizen (TOC) Terry Xu has been ordered to pay S$210,000 each to Singapore's Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam and Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng on Mar. 31.

According to a written judgment, High Court judge Audrey Lim found that Xu had defamed both Cabinet ministers in a December 2024 article alleging a lack of transparency in Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) transactions.

Xu had also refused to apologise or remove the article despite being told to do so.

Described GCB transactions as "opaque" dealings

Xu had published the article on Dec. 12, 2024, making reference to a Bloomberg article discussing GCB transactions made by Shanmugam and Tan.

He described the transactions as "opaque dealings" and echoed Bloomberg's piece claiming a lack of public records regarding such transactions.

Both ministers later filed a lawsuit against Xu on Jan. 6, 2025.

The court held that these allegations were false and damaging to their reputations.

Lim said that Xu's article alone garnered over 44,000 views across TOC's website and social media platforms collectively.

Xu's defamatory allegations "very grave": Judge

The ministers had earlier obtained default judgment against Xu in August 2025, after he failed to contest the claims.

The present decision concerned the assessment of damages.

In her ruling, Lim described Xu's defamatory allegations as "very grave".

"They directly impugn the claimants' personal integrity, character and professional reputation," she wrote.

The court also took into account the wide extent of publication, including dissemination on multiple social media platforms, which garnered significant public engagement.

Lim further found that Xu's conduct "aggravated" the harm.

He had refused to apologise or remove the article despite demands, repeated the allegations in subsequent publications, and breached an injunction restraining further dissemination.

Lim took into account various factors in her sentencing, including the nature and gravity of Xu's defamatory words, the respective standing of the parties, the substantial extent of publication and republication, Xu's conduct, and the presence of malice.

She awarded Shanmugam and Tan a total of S$210,000 each, which comprises S$160,000 in general damages and S$50,000 in aggravated damages.

Top photos via Terry Xu, K Shanmugam Sc & /Facebook