Singapore blogger to pay PM Lee libel damages

A 34-year-old Singaporean blogger ordered to pay USD 109,000 in damages to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for defaming him today struck a deal to make payments in instalments over the span of 17 years.
Roy Ngerng, a former health care coordinator at a hospital here, had written a blogpost in May 2014 allegedly accusing him of misappropriating state pension funds.
On December 17 last year, the Supreme Court ordered Ngerng to pay 150,000 Singaporean dollars (USD 109,000) in damages to Lee, 64, for defamation. This comprises 100,000 dollars in general damages and 50,000 dollars in aggravated damages.
Now he will pay 100 dollars a month for five years and 1,000 dollars a month subsequently in damages awarded to Lee for defamation until the full sum of 150,000 dollars is paid.

These instalments will start from April 1, 2016.
In addition, Ngerng will have to pay 30,000 dollars by Wednesday for the costs of the Assessment of Damages hearing.

If he pays all the instalments on time, Ngerng will complete paying by 2033, according to a report by the Channel News Asia today.
Ngerng will not have to pay any interest if he makes his payments on time.
However, if he breaches the agreement - such as by failing to make any one of the payments on time - the full amount outstanding plus Court Judgment interest will be immediately payable.

Ngerng had initially asked to be let off the remainder after paying 36,000 dollars. But this was rejected by the prime minister, who agreed to the payment in instalments.
Prime Minister had said Ngerng had to discharge the entire debt, but would be allowed to pay it in instalments, provided that costs were paid immediately.
In an email, Ngerng's lawyer E Thuraisingam said that on behalf of Ngerng they had agreed with Lee's lawyers on terms to settle the costs payable for the assessment hearing and the terms of payment of the SGD150,000 late last week.
Ngerng's guilty verdict was the first such ruling in Singapore over a purely online article.

Singapore has consistently ranked as one of the world's least corrupt countries, but rights groups accuse its leaders of usinf defamation suits to silence critics.