LEGAL VICTORY FOR JULIAN ONG AS DEFENCE OF JUSTIFICATION FAILS TO PROVE THE TRUTH
Singapore’s High Court overturned a decision of the lower court and awarded costs to Julian Ong. The High Court decision on 2 October 2020 centered on the validity of the defence of justification used by the person who made the defamatory remark in the defamation trial in the lower courts. High Court Judge, Justice See Kee Oon, found that the criteria for the use on the defence of justification was not met hence the defence should not be allowed to succeed. Central to this is that for the defence of justification to be successful in defamation cases is that the person making the allegedly defamatory remarks must prove that what they said was true. Justice See awarded Julian Ong with S$40,000 costs for the court proceedings. Separate damages for defamation will be assessed at a later date in the lower court. #Dr_Julian_Ong #Julian_Ong