Singapore opposition leader Pritam Singh found guilty of covering up lie
World | Pritam Singh, secretary-general of the Workers' Party, faced two counts of giving false answers to a parliamentary committee during an investigation surrounding a lie a former party legislator admitted in 2021.
Singapore's Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh, was found guilty by a district court on Monday (Feb 17) of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. He is facing a maximum sentence of three years behind bars with a fine of up to S$7,000 on each charge.
Singh, 48, the Indian-origin secretary-general of the Workers' Party, faced two counts of giving false answers to a parliamentary committee during an investigation surrounding a lie that a former party legislator had admitted in 2021. He was found guilty on both charges by a district court.
Also read | Federal judge rules White House defied court order as Trump’s legal battle with judiciary escalates
This comes months ahead of the expected elections in the Southeast Asian nation as the political opposition is seeking to challenge the dominance of the People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled the city-state since 1959.
District Judge Luke Tan, who delivered the verdict, said that Singh did not do enough to get MP Raeesah Khan to admit to her lie in parliament, contrary to what he told the committee.
He also said, giving credence to Khan's testimony, that Singh had told her to “take the lie to the grave.”
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Medical nightmare': What Stryker hit by Iran-linked cyberattack means for millions of Americans?
)
'Nobel Cannibal': Khamenei’s X account posts ghastly Trump cartoon after POTUS floats Tomahawk theory on Iran school strike
)
Brain dead woman comes back to life in India after ambulance hits huge pothole on UP highway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Pentagon's soft target': How Stryker hack is hitting US military hospitals
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Stryker hit': Who is Handala, the Iran-linked hacker group that attacked US medical giant?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
FACT CHECK: Benjamin Netanyahu assassinated in Iranian strike? Truth behind massive claim
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
The EA-18G Growler: How the USS Abraham Lincoln entirely blinds Iran's coastal radars
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'ALERT in California': FBI warns Iran can attack mainland US using drones onboard a ghost ship
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
A 100,000-tonne beast: How the USS Abraham Lincoln still moves at 30 knots while fully loaded
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'$100 billion medical giant': What is Stryker Corp, that got hit by Iran-linked cyberattack?
Singh’s sentence will determine whether he could stand in the general elections, which are expected to be held before November this year.
Also read | Suspended South Korean President Yoon, in court, blames 'malicious' opposition for martial law
Under Singaporean law, any MP can be disqualified from running for election or holding a parliamentary seat for five years if they are jailed for at least a year or fined at least S$10,000 ($7,400).
Lies and scandal
Raeesah Khan resigned from the legislature after admitting to lying in parliament in 2021 about a female rape victim she accompanied to make a police report.
The former MP confessed that she lied when telling parliament that a police officer had made “insensitive comments” about the way the alleged victim was dressed and she had consumed alcohol.
However, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam denied any such record of the incident and Khan confessed to lying about the story.
Singh was accused of covering up the lie to the parliamentary committee investigating Khan. He allegedly said that he was not aware that Khan’s story was not true in an attempt to downplay his responsibility as party leader, according to court documents.
(With inputs from agencies)
