Singapore's opposition leader charged with lying to parliamentary committee, pleads not guilty

SINGAPORE - Opposition Leader Pritam Singh was charged in court on Tuesday with two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee, two years after the police opened investigations into his conduct before the Committee of Privileges, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

The Worker’s Party Secretary-General, who was unrepresented, pleaded not guilty to both charges under Section 31(q) of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act and claimed trial.

He requested for a four-week adjournment to engage a lawyer.

A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for April 17.

Singh faced a maximum fine of S$7,000 or a jail term of up to three years or both, if found guilty.

The charges relate to his testimony before the committee, which had been convened in November 2021 to look into a lying controversy involving his party’s former Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan.

The committee called Singh as a witness and said later that he had not been truthful during the hearings while under oath and recommended referring him to the public prosecutor for further investigations with a view to consider criminal proceedings, which Parliament later endorsed.

Meanwhile, Singh in a Facebook post later said he will continue with all his Parliamentary duties and Town Council responsibilities until the legal process comes to a complete close. - BERNAMA