Singapore's opposition leader found guilty of lying under oath

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - A Singapore court on Monday convicted the country's opposition leader for lying under oath to a parliamentary committee, local media reported.

The charges against Secretary General of the Workers’ Party Pritam Singh stemmed from his involvement in handling a false claim made by a former party member, who lied in parliament in a separate incident, the local English daily Strait Times reported.

District Judge Luke Tan, who delivered the judgment in a crowded courtroom, said he broadly found Singh’s accounts to be inconsistent with facts or simply unbelievable.

Prosecutors recommended a fine of 7,000 Singaporean dollars ($5,221) for each of Singh’s two charges.

His sentencing is expected later on Monday.

Singh, 48, pleaded not guilty throughout the trial.

The verdict came as Singapore prepares for its next general election slated to be held by November.

The opposition Workers’ Party currently holds nine out of 87 elected seats in parliament.

The controversy began in August 2021 when Raeesah Khan, a former party member, falsely claimed in parliament that she had witnessed police misconduct toward a sexual assault victim.

Khan later admitted her story was made up.

She was fined 35,000 Singaporean dollars for lying and abusing parliamentary privilege.

She also resigned from both the Workers’ Party and parliament.

Khan, during a parliamentary committee investigation into the incident in 2021, testified that party leaders, including Singh, instructed her to “continue with the narrative,” even after they learned it was false.

Singh denied the claim but acknowledged giving Khan “too much time to settle herself before closing this issue with her.”

The parliamentary committee, however, referred the case to the public prosecutor, concluding that Singh had not been truthful.