Pritam Singh, the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party (WP) in Singapore, was charged on Tuesday with lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. Singh is accused of providing false testimony during the Committee of Privileges hearings involving former Member of Parliament Raeesah Khan.
Appearing in court, the 47-year-old opposition leader pleaded not guilty to two charges under Section 31(q) of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act and opted to stand trial. If convicted, he faces a potential jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to SGD 7,000 per charge. Singh requested a four-week adjournment to engage legal representation, with a pre-trial conference scheduled for April 17.
According to the charges, Singh allegedly provided false testimony on December 10, 2021, regarding his interactions with Khan and instructed her to retract her statements made in Parliament. He is accused of further false testimony on December 10 and December 15, 2021, regarding discussions with Khan about admitting to lying in Parliament.
The case involving Khan arose in 2021 when she admitted to falsely accusing the police of mishandling a rape case during parliamentary proceedings. The matter was referred to the Committee of Privileges, which recommended further investigation into Singh's conduct. Singh previously contested the committee's findings, arguing against allegations of instructing Khan to conceal the truth.
The Committee of Privileges' final report implicated Singh as the "key orchestrator" behind Khan's false statements and suggested his involvement in guiding her actions. Khan subsequently resigned from the WP and her parliamentary seat on November 30, 2021.
