After Pritam, now Sylvia and Faisal: Fallout from Raeesah Khan case continues

SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party (WP) Chief Pritam Singh will not be the only party leader who’ll need to deal with more fallout from the case of former Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan.

On Dec 17, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah issued a statement saying that the convictions of Mr Singh will be debated in Parliament in January, and on Monday (Dec 22), in response to questions from the media, Ms Indranee said that how WP chair Sylvia Lim and vice-chair Faisal Manap conducted themselves in connection with Ms Khan’s case will also be raised for discussion in Parliament.

Mr Singh was convicted of lying to the committee of privileges earlier this year but had appealed the ruling. On Dec 4, the High Court dismissed the appeal, finding the WP chief guilty of two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee. The judge had imposed the maximum fine of S$7,000 for each charge.

“Lying under oath is a serious matter… We cannot accept such standards in Singapore,” the House Leader said in her statement last week.

As for Ms Lim and Mr Faisal, a CNA report quotes Ms Indranee as saying that the verdicts in the WP chief’s case have “implications” for the other two party leaders.

She pointed out: “The COP found that Ms Lim and Mr Faisal had both lied under oath when they denied that, at the meeting of August 2021, which they attended, Ms Raeesah Khan was told to hide her untruth (ie, to take it to the grave). The COP’s findings have been borne out by the court judgments.”

CNA also quoted the WP as saying it “notes the comments made, and the matters raised will be addressed in parliament at the appropriate time”.

The party said in a statement on Dec 17 that it had begun its internal processes regarding the High Court judgment issued on Dec 4 and that it will provide further updates on them in due course.

The charges against Pritam Singh

The charges against Mr Singh stemmed from allegations that he misled the parliamentary committee to investigate Ms Khan when the committee questioned him on Dec 10 and 15, 2021. Ms Khan resigned from the WP and stepped down from her position on Nov 30, 2021, after it was revealed that she lied in Parliament on more than one occasion.

During a meeting with Ms Khan and other WP leaders in August 2021, Mr Singh allegedly told Ms Khan to retract her statements in Parliament. On other occasions, Mr Singh is said to have urged Ms Khan to come forward about her false statements if the issue was raised in Parliament on Oct 4, 2021.

Ms Khan was later fined S$35,000 for abusing parliamentary privilege.

In response to the committee’s findings, Parliament endorsed a recommendation to refer Mr Singh and Mr Faisal to the public prosecutor for further investigation with the potential for criminal proceedings. The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and the police announced that no charges would be brought against Mr Faisal. He was instead given an advisory to familiarise himself with the conduct expected of an MP under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities, and Powers) Act and desist from acts that may be in breach of it.

Mr Singh, however, was later charged with two counts of providing false information while under oath during his testimony before the committee. The committee, which called Mr Singh as a witness, concluded that his testimony lacked truthfulness.

On Mar 19, 2024, he pleaded not guilty and claimed trial, which took place in two tranches from Oct 14 to Nov 8. Mr Singh’s case is believed to be the first prosecution under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act. /TISG

Read also: WP supporters express continued trust in Pritam Singh after High Court appeal dismissal; some say they respect him more for taking responsibility