🔗 Share this article

In a significant court decision, Singapore's main political rival Pritam Singh has failed in his challenge against a conviction of providing false statements to a legislative panel.

In February, Singh was fined S$14,000 for two charges connected with his management of former lawmaker Raeesah Khan, who had admitted to giving false testimony in parliament.

During a brief hearing before a packed public gallery on Friday, the presiding judge stated that the evidence presented supported Singh's guilty verdict.

Reaction from the Accused

Singh, who heads the main opposition Workers' Party, expressed that he was "disappointed" with the decision but accepted it "fully and without reservation".

He promptly paid his fines at the court complex following the hearing. "Might as well get it done," he remarked to the press.

Notwithstanding the verdict, Singh keeps his seat in parliament and stated his intention to keep working for Singaporeans alongside his colleagues.

The Underlying Saga

The controversy began in 2021 when Raeesah Khan asserted in parliament that she had seen police misbehave towards a survivor.

She later admitted her anecdote was fabricated, but stated during a official inquiry that party leaders, such as Singh, had advised her to "continue with the narrative" despite knowing it was a lie.

Khan has since resigned from both the party and parliament. She was penalized S$35,000 for perjury and abusing her parliamentary privilege.

Judicial Reasoning

In February, the court determined that Singh's actions were "highly suggestive" that he did not want Khan to correct the falsehood.

Singh, who protested his innocence throughout the trial, argued that he had wanted to give Khan time to deal with what was a sensitive issue.

Points Contested

During the November court session, Singh's legal counsel argued that the initial court had "ignored crucial pieces of evidence" in its original ruling.

The defense also attempted to question the credibility of Khan and her assistants, who served as witnesses.

When asked why Singh appeared to be "taking no action" to have Khan own up in the weeks following his discovery of her lie, his lawyer explained that he had other urgent professional and personal matters to manage.

The state's attorneys, however, maintained that Singh's lack of action, coupled with other evidence, proved he never intended for Khan to come clean.

Wider Implications

Singh's case is significant as one of the very few criminal convictions against a sitting opposition lawmaker.

Observers have previously accused Singapore's government of using the judiciary to target its political opponents—charges that authorities have consistently denied.

The Workers' Party is the sole rival group in Singapore's current parliament, where it occupies 12 out of 99 seats.