Pritam Singh: Singapore opposition leader guilty of lying to parliament
Singapore's opposition leader Pritam Singh has been found guilty of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.
Singapore's opposition leader Pritam Singh has been found guilty of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.The verdict in this high-profile trial comes as Singapore is gearing up for its next general election, which must be held by November. Singh's Workers' Party holds nine out of 87 elected seats in parliament.
In Singapore, any MP can lose their seat or be barred from running for office for five years if they are fined at least S$10,000 ($7,440; £5,925) or jailed for more than a year. District Judge Luke Tan, who delivered the verdict on Monday to a packed courtroom - live streamed to more members of the press - said several pieces of evidence showed that Singh "never wanted Ms Khan to clarify [her] lie"
He also said Singh had "direct and intimate involvement" in guiding Khan to continue her narrative.Prosecutors are seeking a fine of S$7,000 ($5,200; £4,200) During a parliamentary committee investigation into the incident later that year, Khan testified that the party's leaders, including Singh, had told her to "continue with the narrative" despite finding out that it was not true. This was prior to her eventual admission.
Singh denied this, but also said that he had given Khan "too much time to settle herself before closing this issue with her".he parliamentary committee concluded that Singh was not being truthful and referred the case to the public prosecutor.
Judge Tan said on Monday that Singh's actions after learning of Khan's lie were "strongly indicative that the accused did not want Ms Khan to clarify the untruth at some point".Singh's Workers' Party is the opposition party with the largest presence in parliament.
