Blogger to pay damages to Singapore premier for 17 years

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Loong

A blogger found liable for defaming Singapore’s Prime Minister will have to pay the total damages ordered by the court over a period of 17 years, the state lawyer said on Monday.
The lawyers for the Prime Minister, Lee Loong, and blogger Roy Ngerng reached an agreement on when Ngerng would pay the court-ordered 150,000 Singapore dollars (109,119 US dollars) in damages.
The court ordered that starting from April 1, Ngerng should pay Lee 100 Singapore dollars every month for the next five years, after which he will pay 1,000 Singapore dollars each month until the full sum has been covered.
Ngerng will have 17 years under the arrangement to pay the full amount.
If he fails to meet any of the payments, the outstanding amount will be immediately payable, plus interest.
He is also required to pay 30,000 Singapore dollars for the court hearing by Wednesday.
Ngerng was ordered by the High Court to pay aggravated damages in December after a high-profile hearing in which he defended himself and cross-examined the prime minister.
Lee had initiated the proceedings after Ngerng published a blog post alleging how money from the state pension fund was channelled into investments in one of Singapore’s sovereign wealth funds.
Ngerng said that the prime minister was chairman of the sovereign wealth fund.
The blogger said that he did not appeal the court’s ruling on the assessment of damages, claiming that he did not believe the outcome would change.
“I hope to have a fresh start.
“I hope to be able to find a job and make use of my work experience and skills,” he wrote in a Facebook post.