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Five-member Singapore Court of Appeal considered the law on absolute privilege, qualified privilege, in the context of defamation made in the form of complaints to law enforcement or prosecuting authorities e.g. police and regulatory bodies. The Court of Appeal laid down the law that gratuitous complaints to law enforcement or prosecuting authorities, should only be protected by qualified privilege, which can be defeated by malice, and not absolute privilege: see [77]-[78].
What’s defamation, libel and slander? Defamation is the injury of another person’s reputation by exposing him to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or which tends to lower him in the esteem of right-thinking members of society. Libel and slander are forms of defamation. Libel is defamation in writing or image. Slander is spoken defamation. The key difference between the two is that special damages must be proven with regard to slander but not libel.
A person who has been defamed may bring an action or claim in the tort of defamation against the person defaming him. Related to this is the tort of malicious falsehood.
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