19-3-2024 (SINGAPORE) The city-state’s political sphere has been rocked by a high-profile legal case involving the leader of the opposition, Pritam Singh. The 47-year-old chief of the Workers’ Party was charged on Tuesday with providing false testimony before a parliamentary committee investigating a lie told by former party MP Raeesah Khan.
In a dramatic development at the State Courts, Singh pleaded not guilty to two charges under Section 31(q) of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act. The charges allege that he wilfully made false statements during his examination by the Committee of Privileges, which was probing Khan’s admission of lying in Parliament about accompanying a sexual assault victim to a police station.
The charges carry a potential sentence of up to three years in jail and a fine of up to S$7,000 (US$5,200) for each count. Arriving alone at the court, a composed Singh declined to comment to reporters, stating he would issue a statement later. When asked to enter his plea, he firmly declared, “I plead not guilty.”
The opposition leader requested a four-week adjournment to secure legal representation, and the judge set a pre-trial conference for April 17. The case has far-reaching implications, as recent legislative changes disqualify any MP jailed for at least one year or fined more than S$10,000 from serving for five years.
The charges stem from the Committee of Privileges’ report in February 2022, which accused Singh and party vice-chair Faisal Manap of being “untruthful in their evidence under oath” regarding their knowledge of Khan’s lie. While Manap received a police advisory, Singh now faces prosecution over his alleged false testimony about meetings with Khan in August and October 2021.
The controversy erupted after Khan’s August 2021 speech in Parliament, where she claimed to have accompanied a sexual assault victim to the police station and alleged mishandling of the case. When pressed for details, she cited confidentiality concerns, only to later admit to fabricating the account, claiming she had heard the story in a support group.
