THE case centres on the amount in damages that Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan, his sister Chee Siok Chin, and the party itself have to pay for defaming Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

In 2006, the High Court ruled that the Chee siblings and the SDP had defamed PM Lee and MM Lee in the party newsletter, The New Democrat.

The newsletter, published before the General Election that year, had articles on the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) saga and drew parallels between how the charity and the Government were run.

PM Lee and MM Lee sued Dr Chee and the SDP leadership for repeating remarks which alleged that they were corrupt and covered up wrongdoings at the NKF.

Six SDP central executive committee members subsequently apologised.

But Dr Chee and his sister did not.