A Singaporean court has found Pritam Singh, leader of the opposition and secretary-general of the Workers’ Party (WP), guilty of two counts of lying to parliament in connection with an investigation into former WP lawmaker Raeesah Khan.
Singh’s conviction stems from the 2021 case of Khan, who resigned after admitting to making false statements in parliament. Khan had falsely claimed that she accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station where officers mistreated the victim. She later admitted the claim was untrue following an inquiry by parliament’s Committee of Privileges.
During the inquiry, Singh was accused of providing false testimony regarding his role in advising Khan on addressing her false statements. Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan ruled that Singh’s account was inconsistent with the facts or not credible.
The 13-day trial took place between October and November 2024. Prosecutors are seeking the maximum fine of 7,000 Singapore dollars (5,250 U.S. dollars) per charge, while Singh’s lawyer argues that he was not responsible for the original falsehood.
