SINGAPORE: The trial of opposition leader and Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh is scheduled to take place from October to November, according to court records on Friday (31 May). The trial proceedings are slated to commence on October 14, continuing for a duration of 16 days until November 13.
The 47-year-old politician faces charges of lying to a parliamentary committee convened in November 2021 to investigate a controversy involving his party’s former MP Raeesah Khan.
Mr Singh was charged on March 19 with two counts of providing false information while under oath during his testimony before the committee. The committee, which had called Mr Singh as a witness, later concluded that his testimony lacked truthfulness.
Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan will preside over the trial and Mr Singh will be represented by Mr Andre Jumabhoy.
The charges against Mr Singh stem from allegations that he misled the committee, when he was questioned on 10 and 15 December 2021.
It is claimed that during a meeting with Ms Khan and other WP leaders on 8 August 2021, Mr Singh allegedly told Ms Khan to retract her statements made in Parliament regarding a sexual assault case. On other occasions, Mr Singh allegedly said that he urged Ms Khan to come forward about her false statements if the issue was raised in Parliament on 4 October 2021.
Ms Khan herself had admitted to providing false information during a parliamentary session on 1 November 2021, concerning the handling of a sexual assault case by the police. Subsequently, on 30 November 2021, Ms Khan resigned from her position as a Member of Parliament.
In response to the committee’s findings, Parliament endorsed a recommendation to refer Mr Singh and WP vice-chairman Faisal Manap to the public prosecutor for further investigation with the potential for criminal proceedings.
However, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and the police announced on 19 March that no charges would be brought against Mr Faisal and he was instead issued a police advisory to familiarize himself with the expected conduct of Members of Parliament under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act.
Under the said Act, providing false information in response to questions from a parliamentary committee is considered a criminal offense, carrying a maximum penalty of a $7,000 fine or up to three years’ imprisonment, or both.
TISG/