The legal action focuses on a high-profile incident at the Europa Hotel in Belfast in the summer when Sir Van, a vocal lockdown critic, took to stage and criticised Robin Swann.
The defamation proceedings also cite two subsequent incidents when the singer elaborated on his views on Mr Swann. In the first, when he was challenged by a Sunday Life reporter about his initial comments, Sir Van was reported to have described the minister as a “fraud”.
The second relates to content the songwriter uploaded on YouTube in which he addressed the Europa Hotel controversy. In that video, he again criticises the minister and calls him “dangerous”, albeit he refers to him incorrectly as “Robert Swann”.