“The article, published in December 2024, referred to non-caveated purchases of good-class bungalows in Singapore. A caveat refers to a legal document buyers submit to the Singapore Land Authority to register interest in a property.”

“It reported that Shanmugam used a trust structure to sell a bungalow in the affluent neighbourhood of Queen Astrid Park and mentioned Tan’s non-caveated purchase of a good-class bungalow in nearby Brizay Park.”

“The ministers in January last year filed separate defamation suits against the media organisation and Low, a real estate reporter, arguing that the statements in the article were understood to mean that they had 'taken advantage of there being no checks and balances or disclosure requirements' by transacting properties in 'a non-transparent manner'.”

“They alleged that the statements also implied they sought to hide the deals to avoid scrutiny and hinted at the possibility of money laundering.”