WP chief Pritam Singh found guilty of both charges of lying to COP
Update (17 Feb, 3.38pm): The judge has imposed a maximum fine of S$7,000 on each of the two charges for Pritam Singh, as per what the prosecution asked for. The defence had argued for a fine of S$4,000 per charge.
The judge said this was because “the court must send a message on the importance of giving truthful information when under oath”.
After the sentencing, Pritam Singh announced on a Facebook post that he would be filing a notice of appeal. Moreover, he told the media that he intends to contest in the upcoming general election.
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Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh has been found guilty of lying to a Committee of Privileges (COP) — concluding a highly scrutinised trial that spanned several months of legal proceedings.
Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan delivered the verdict in a lengthy address at the State Court today (17 Feb), convicting Singh of providing false testimony regarding his role in Ms Raeesah Khan’s case in Parliament.
Pritam Singh accused of lying to COP
The widely followed case centres on accusations that Singh, who’s the chief of opposition party Workers’ Party (WP), lied to the COP on two occasions in December during its inquiry into Ms Khan’s case.
He was charged with falsely testifying that:
- He wanted Ms Khan to clarify at some point in Parliament that what she had said about accompanying a rape victim to a police station was untrue, after his meeting with her and WP members Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap on Aug 8, 2021.
- He wanted to convey to Ms Khan, when he spoke to her on Oct 3, 2021, that if the issue came up in Parliament the next day, she had to clarify that her story about accompanying the rape victim was a lie.
On 3 Aug 2021, Raeesah Khan lied in Parliament, claiming she had accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station where the victim was treated insensitively.
Source: Google Maps
Raeesah Khan repeated the false claim on 4 Oct before admitting to her lie on 1 Nov 2021.
Authorities charged Singh on 19 Mar 2024, under Section 31(q) of the Parliament Act. The trial was concluded the trial on 8 Nov 2024.
Singh has maintained his innocence throughout the trial and denied asking Ms Khan to continue her false narrative.
Court delivers verdict on WP leader
The judge said he broadly found Pritam Singh’s accounts to be inconsistent with facts or simply unbelievable, reported The Straits Times.
According to CNA, Judge Tan said: “The accused’s actions subsequently in response to this end at and after the Aug 8 meeting to Ms Khan’s admission of the untruth were strongly indicative that the accused did not want Ms Khan to clarify the untruth at some point.”
“Yet, after Ms Khan admitted to other WP leaders she had lied, there was absolutely no follow-up from the accused.”
“This could only be because the accused had mentioned this was ‘probably something we should take to the grave’,” added the judge.
The judge dismissed Singh’s claim as “uncorroborated and unbelievable,” noting he took no steps to prepare Khan for correcting her falsehood in Parliament on 4 Oct 2021, and instead told her to consult her parents first.
In addition, the judge said the defence’s bid to impeach Ms Khan’s credit as a witness has not succeeded.
The prosecution is seeking the maximum fine of S$7,000 for each charge. It is not seeking for a jail term.
Singh’s lawyers seek a S$4,000 fine per charge, arguing he played no role in Khan’s initial false statement.
The court has adjourned sentencing to 3.15pm today.
This is a developing story.
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Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao.
