Singapore’s Indian-origin opposition leader Pritam Singh faces charges of misleading parliament

Pritam Singh, the Leader of Opposition in Singapore was charged with perjury before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday (March 19).

Singh, who is of Indian descent and serves as the Secretary-General of the Workers’ Party (WP), stands accused of providing false testimony during hearings by the Committee of Privileges concerning former Member of Parliament Raeesah Khan.

Appearing in court without legal representation, the 47-year-old opposition figure pleaded not guilty to two charges under Section 31(q) of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities, and Powers) Act, opting for a trial.

If convicted, he faces a possible imprisonment term of up to three years or a fine of up to SGD 7,000 per charge.

Seeking a four-week adjournment to secure legal counsel, a pre-trial conference is slated for April 17, as per media reports.

According to the charges, Singh allegedly provided false testimony on December 10, 2021, stating that after a meeting with fellow WP members Khan, Sylvia Lim, and Faisal Manap on August 8, 2021, he urged Khan to retract her statements made to MPs on August 3, 2021.

He is further accused of providing false testimony on December 10 and December 15, 2021, claiming that during a conversation with Khan on October 3, 2021, he encouraged her to confess to lying in Parliament.

Khan's case emerged in 2021 when she admitted to fabricating information in Parliament regarding a mishandled rape case involving the police.

After a series of hearings, the Committee of Privileges recommended that Singh be referred to the public prosecutor for potential criminal proceedings due to his conduct during the hearings.

Singh contested the committee's findings, criticising what he perceived as political bias in the report.

During a parliamentary debate on the committee's final report, Singh asserted that he never instructed Khan to conceal the truth and refuted allegations of his involvement in guiding Khan's actions.

Following the release of the final report, the WP expressed serious concerns regarding the recommendation to refer Singh and WP vice-chair Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap for possible prosecution.

The committee's report concluded that Singh played a central role in directing Khan's actions, suggesting that he may have been instrumental in perpetuating her false statements.

(With inputs from agencies)