AGC to evaluate further action on Kenneth Jeyaretnam over alleged falsehoods
Attorney General’s Chambers and POFMA Office to review RP chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam's POFMAed posts on Ridout Road properties, exploring potential actions.
SINGAPORE: The Attorney-General's Chambers and the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office are set to evaluate comments made by Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam regarding the rental of properties at Ridout Road by two ministers.
The objective is to determine whether any further action should be taken.
In response to queries from Singapore state media CNA on Thursday (22 February), the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) emphasized the government's serious stance towards individuals spreading online falsehoods.
"Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam’s repetition of falsehoods, even when the falsehoods and corresponding facts were pointed out to him previously, may suggest a deliberate intent to spread falsehoods," MinLaw and MCI said.
"Mr Jeyaretnam’s actions have been referred to the POFMA Office and the Attorney-General's Chambers to assess if any further action should be taken."
Last week, Mr Jeyaretnam received his sixth correction direction under POFMA for comments made on 16 Feb about the rental of black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road by two ministers.
The correction direction was issued as the Minister contended that Mr Jeyaretnam's statements accused the SLA of mismanaging State properties, alleging preferential treatment in rental terms for Minister K Shanmugam and Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Correction directions were also issued to Gutzy Asia—for sharing the hyperlink to Mr Jeyaretnam’s post in an article on its website and indirectly linking it via its Facebook post and X post—and to The Online Citizen for its Facebook post.
The ministries highlighted that individuals disseminating multiple falsehoods may face criminal sanctions under certain circumstances. Furthermore, they may have their websites designated as Declared Online Locations (DOLs).
DOLs are online locations, like websites or webpages, carrying three or more distinct online falsehoods subject to active POFMA directions.
To be marked as a DOL, at least three false statements must have been communicated to the online location within the six months preceding its designation.
Mr. Jeyaretnam's website, The Ricebowl Singapore, and his Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn pages were designated as DOLs in December 2023.
This designation, effective until 11 December 2025, prohibits him from receiving any benefits, including financial ones, from operating his website and social media pages.
An offence under section 7 of the POFMA entails severe penalties, including a fine of up to d$50,000, a potential imprisonment term of up to 5 years, or a combination of both.
In the case of non-individuals, such as online media platforms operated by tech companies, a substantial fine of up to $500,000 will be levied.
Furthermore, in instances where fake online accounts or bots are utilized to propagate falsehoods, individual offenders may face a fine of up to S$100,000 and/or a maximum imprisonment term of 10 years. For non-individuals found guilty of such actions, a substantial fine of up to S$1 million will be imposed.
Kenneth Jeyaretnam issued 6th POFMA direction over Ridout Road saga
Mr Jeyaretnam wrote a blog on 16 February entitled, “Can SLA Explain the Huge Discrepancy Between the Auction Results for 41 Malcolm Road and What They Are Charging for 26 and 31 Ridout Road?” He suggested he had evidence that the rentals for 26 and 31 were unusually low and that it appeared to be a mismanagement of Singapore’s precious land reserves.
He suggested that the failure to secure the best possible rental for the Ridout Road properties is purely the result of incompetence on the part of the SLA management.
