ST: TOC defamation trial: Statements repeated claims from PM Lee’s siblings ‘in good faith’, says defence

SINGAPORE – The Online Citizen (TOC) contributor Daniel De Costa was acting in good faith when he made allegedly defamatory statements, his lawyer, Mr M. Ravi, argued in court on Friday (Oct 30).

Mr Ravi of Carson Law Chambers said his client had not been malicious and had simply repeated allegations made earlier by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s siblings – Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling – while believing them to be true.

Under the law, those who express opinions about the public conduct of public servants in good faith are not guilty of defamation, he argued on the fourth day of a criminal defamation trial that has been adjourned till next month.