SINGAPORE OPPOSITION LEADER LOSES APPEAL IN LYING TO PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE CASE

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 (Bernama) -- The Singapore High Court on Thursday dismissed opposition leader Pritam Singh’s appeal against his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee, local media reported.

On Feb 17, the Workers’ Party secretary-general was fined a total of S$14,000 (approx. RM44,380) for two counts of giving false testimony while under oath to the Parliament’s Committee of Privileges (COP). 

Justice Steven Chong said the lower court judge’s decision to convict Singh was sound and supported by evidence, CNA reported. Singh proceeded to pay the fine in full after the hearing.

Addressing the media, the Member of Parliament for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) said that while disappointed with the verdict, he respected and accepted the judgment without reservation.

“I certainly took too long to respond to Raeesah’s lie in Parliament. I take responsibility for that,” he said in a video posted by CNA.

The Elections Department of Singapore (ELD) clarified in February, following Singh’s initial guilty verdict, that the ruling did not affect his status as an MP as it did not meet the disqualification threshold.

Singh was charged on March 19, 2024, under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act for wilfully providing a false answer during an examination before Parliament’s COP.

His charges relate to his testimony before the COP, which had been convened in November 2021 to investigate a lying controversy involving then WP member Raeesah Khan.

Raeesah, then MP for Sengkang GRC, had told Parliament on Aug 3, 2021, that she had accompanied a rape victim to make a police report and claimed that the police officer who interviewed the victim had allegedly made comments about the victim’s attire and the fact that she had been drinking alcohol.

She later admitted in Parliament that the anecdote was untrue.

-- BERNAMA