Singapore opposition leader Pritam Singh found guilty of lying under oath

Singapore’s Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh was found guilty on Monday by a district court in the city state of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan will deliver his sentence at a later stage.

If Singh, secretary general of the Workers’ Party, receives a penalty exceeding the constitutional threshold of a S$10,000 (US$7,400) fine or a year-long jail term, he will be barred from standing for an election or being a member of parliament for five years.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has yet to call for an election, which is due to be held by November 23 this year.

The criminal case against Singh, 48, stemmed from lies former Workers’ Party MP Raeesah Khan told to parliament in August and October 2021, concerning accompanying a rape victim to a police station. Khan later revealed in parliament that she herself had been a victim of sexual assault.

Singh faced two charges for giving false evidence under oath during parliamentary committee hearings held in December 2021. During these hearings, he testified that he had urged Khan to clarify her untruth on August 8 of that year, and that in a subsequent conversation on October 3, he stressed the need for her to address the lie if it arose in parliament the following day.