The hearing for a summary judgment against Chee Soon Juan, who is secretary-general of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, and his sister Chee Siok Chin, has been adjourned until a new judge is named, the lawyers said after a closed session of the High Court.

Chee's lawyer, M. Ravi, told reporters that his heated argument with High Court Justice Woo Bih Li in another case had created an impression in the media that there would be a "likelihood of bias" if Woo heard the defamation case.

Jeffrey Chan, a lawyer representing the Attorney General's office, told reporters this was the first time in Singapore's judicial history that a judge had disqualified himself from a case.

Woo isn't biased but "feels it is in the interest of justice that he disqualifies himself from the case," said Ravi.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, allege they were defamed by an article in the opposition party's newspaper that linked corruption at the National Kidney Foundation to the way the city-state is run.

Chee is barred from campaigning or standing in elections after being bankrupted in February for failing to pay S$500,000 (US$316,685; €248,015) in libel damages to Lee Kuan Yew and former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

He was jailed for eight days in March for contempt of court after criticizing the independence of the city-state's judges.

Ruling party leaders have successfully sued several opposition politicians and journalists for defamation over the years. They say they sue to protect their reputations.

But domestic and international critics - including the US State Department and London-based rights group Amnesty International - have accused Singapore's rulers of using defamation lawsuits to stifle opponents.

Singapore authorities tightly restrict media and political speech, which they say has helped turn the city-state into one of the region's economic powerhouses.

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