Singapore’s Indian-origin LoP, Pritam Singh goes on trial for lying in Parliament | India News – Times of India

The trial of Singapore‘s Indian-origin Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh, commenced on Monday, where he faces two charges of lying in Parliament during questioning about a former colleague, Raeesah Khan. Khan, a former Workers’ Party (WP) member, had lied twice in Parliament in 2021 about accompanying a rape victim to a police station, where an officer allegedly commented on the woman’s attire and alcohol consumption.
Singh, 48, and a father of two, is accused of lying to the Committee of Privileges (COP) during its investigation into Khan’s conduct on December 10 and 15, 2021. The charges stem from Singh’s alleged false testimony that, following a meeting on August 8, 2021, with Khan and WP members Sylvia Lim and Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, he wanted Khan to eventually clarify in Parliament that her statement about accompanying the victim was untrue.
A second alleged lie concerns Singh’s conversation with Khan on October 3, 2021, in which he reportedly instructed her to clarify the false story if questioned in Parliament the next day.
Prosecutors, led by Deputy Attorney-General Ang Cheng Hock, argued that Singh gave false testimony to minimize his responsibility in the matter. According to the prosecution, Khan understood from the August 8 meeting that her party leaders did not want her to correct the falsehood.
The prosecution also alleged that Singh advised Khan on October 3, 2021, to maintain the lie if it was raised in Parliament the following day. Khan, absent from parliamentary sessions in September due to illness, had fabricated the story about the police incident.
Singh, a lawyer and seasoned politician, was charged on March 19, 2024, under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act, which criminalizes lying in response to parliamentary inquiries. If convicted, he could face up to three years in prison, a fine of SGD 7,000 per charge, or both. A fine exceeding SGD 10,000 could result in Singh losing his parliamentary seat and disqualification from elections for five years.
Singh pleaded not guilty as his charges were read in court before a gallery of nearly 40 people, including his father, Amarjit Singh, a former Singapore district judge. The trial is expected to run until the following Thursday under Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan.