Jeyaretnam accused Lee of deliberately holding back the case, which was ready for court in September 1997, as part of a plot to drag him into court close to a general election.

Lee's counsel accused Jeyaretnam of harbouring "a very deep and offensive malice" towards Lee, Singapore's first prime minister and who now holds the influential post of senior minister.

Jeyaretnam, a 76-year-old lawyer, has been the bete noire of Lee and his ruling People's Action Party (PAP) since 1981 when he broke its 16-year monopoly on power.

But his political career was terminated this week when he lost an appeal against bankruptcy under a mounting pile of debts exceeding S$550,000 (US$303,000 US) stemming from defamation cases.

Jeyaretnam, who faces another 10 defamation suits over a 1997 incident, took a case against Lee to the Appeal Court Wednesday arguing it should be thrown out because of a three-year delay.

The judges reserved their decision, and Jeyaretnam said outside the court that if he is successful he will take similar action against the other nine plaintiffs.

"Nothing was done by (Lee) for more than three years, then suddenly at the end of last year the plaintiff ... takes out an application which I shall say was totally unnecessary and frivolous and an abuse of the process of the court," Jeyaretnam said in his evidence.

"There is not a word as to why he waited more than 36 months ... I would suggest a reason that the court will say is irrelevant. Reason is he decided to wait until the next elections were around the corner."

Action on the Lee suit was begun last December about the time rumours began that the government would call an election in 2001 and not wait for scheduled polls in August 2002.

Jeyaretnam said the intent of libel action was to have it heard speedily "while the facts are fresh in the minds of the people."

If the suit goes ahead does it mean "there's one rule for Lee and one rule for Jeyaretnam?"

He rejected a statement by Lee's counsel Davinder Singh that the defamation was not pushed sooner because all plaintiffs realised Jeyaretnam had mounting debts and did not want to escalate the costs.

"Then it could have been suggested we were oppressing him," Singh said.

The suit is one of 11 filed against Jeyaretnam by leaders of the PAP who accused him of committing defamation by innuendo when he announced during an election rally that another opposition candidate Tang Liang Hong had filed the police reports against them.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was awarded $100,000 in an initial case in 1997, and Jeyaretnam said the other 10 suits were to have followed immediately.