Punjab-origin leader in Singapore fined for lying to parliamentary panel

The Singapore Constitution states that a sitting MP will lose his seat and be disqualified from standing for election if he is jailed for at least one year, or fined at least SGD 10,000 ( ₹6.74 lakh).

Indian-origin leader of Opposition (LoP) in Singapore, Pritam Singh was on Monday fined SGD 14,000 ( ₹9 lakh approximately) after a district court found him guilty on two counts of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, the leader of Opposition Pritam Singh said he will be running for the general election which is due in November this year. (HT File)

Singh was fined a maximum of SGD 7,000 ( ₹4.5 lakh) for each of his two charges.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, the leader of Opposition said he will be running for the general election which is due in November this year.

The Constitution states that a sitting MP will lose his seat and be disqualified from standing for election if he is jailed for at least one year, or fined at least SGD 10,000 ( ₹6.74 lakh).

The elections department, however, confirmed on Monday that the sentence imposed on Singh does not reach the threshold to disqualify him as an MP. It said disqualification is based on the sentence imposed for a single offence.

In a Facebook post, Singh said that he has instructed his legal team to file a notice of appeal and to look into the written judgment in closer detail.

Deputy principal district judge Luke Tan convicted Singh on two charges of lying in the house relating to another lying case of a fellow former party member and MP Raeesah Khan in 2021.

Singh, 48, was found to have given false testimony to a parliamentary committee that was looking into the conduct of former Workers’ Party MP Raeesah Khan, who had admitted to making up a story about accompanying a sexual assault victim to the police station.

Singh is secretary-general of the opposition Workers’ Party and was convicted on Monday.

“The court must send a message on the importance of giving truthful information when under oath,” the judge said in sentencing.

Judge Luke Tan agreed with both the prosecution and the defence that a jail term was not warranted in Singh’s case.

Singh was accused of wilfully giving two false answers to the COP during its inquiry into Khan’s case on December 10 and December 15, 2021.