Singapore Opposition Leader Pritam Singh Found Guilty of Lying Under Oath

A Singapore court has found opposition leader Pritam Singh guilty of lying under oath. The case centers on his handling of Raeesah Khan, a former party member who misled parliament. Since the trial was highly anticipated, the verdict has drawn significant attention.

Political and Legal Consequences

This ruling comes at a crucial time as Singapore prepares for its next general election, which must take place by November. Currently, Singh’s Workers’ Party holds nine of the 87 elected seats in parliament. However, under Singaporean law, MPs can lose their seats if fined at least S$10,000 ($7,440; £5,925) or sentenced to more than a year in prison. Therefore, Singh’s political future remains uncertain.

Judge’s Statement

The verdict, delivered on Monday, lasted over two hours. The courtroom was packed, forcing many journalists, including BBC reporters, to watch from an overflow room. District Judge Luke Tan emphasized that Singh “never wanted Ms Khan to clarify [her] lie.” He further stated that Singh played a “direct and intimate” role in guiding Khan to continue her false statement.

Punishment Under Debate

Following the ruling, prosecutors have demanded a maximum fine of S$7,000 ($5,200; £4,200) for each charge. Meanwhile, Singh’s defense team has requested a lower fine of S$4,000 ($3,000; £2,400). Despite the verdict, Singh, 48, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He insists that he only wanted to give Khan time to handle the situation properly.

The Raeesah Khan Scandal

This controversy began in August 2021 when Khan falsely claimed in parliament that she had witnessed police mistreating a sexual assault survivor. However, she later admitted that her statement was untrue. As a result, authorities fined her S$35,000 ($26,000; £21,000) for lying and abusing her parliamentary privilege. Eventually, she resigned from both the Workers’ Party and parliament.

During a later investigation, Khan testified that party leaders, including Singh, told her to “continue with the narrative” despite knowing the truth. On the other hand, Singh denied this claim. However, he admitted that he gave Khan “too much time” before addressing the issue.

Final Ruling

After reviewing the evidence, Judge Tan concluded that Singh’s actions clearly indicated he did not want Khan to retract her false statement. Subsequently, the parliamentary committee found Singh untruthful and referred the case to the public prosecutor.

Workers’ Party’s Political Position

Despite this legal battle, the Workers’ Party remains Singapore’s strongest opposition group. Notably, in the 2020 election, it secured 10 seats, marking its best result since Singapore gained independence in 1965. Following this success, Singh was named opposition leader. However, the party lost one seat after Khan’s resignation, further complicating its standing ahead of the next election.