SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has begun legal action against financial adviser Leong Sze Hian for defamation, after Mr Leong shared an article on his Facebook page that said Mr Lee had helped to launder 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds.

The article, which Mr Leong posted on Nov 7, stated that former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak had signed "secret deals" with PM Lee in exchange for Singapore banks' help in laundering money from the embattled sovereign wealth fund.