Pritam Singh to continue with parliamentary and town council duties until legal process completed
Leader of the Opposition and Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh, who was charged on March 19 with lying to a parliamentary committee over a case involving former MP Raeesah Khan, said he will continue with all his parliamentary duties and town council responsibilities until the legal process is complete.
In a Facebook post published after he was charged, Singh reiterated that he had pleaded not guilty to the two charges he faces, and has claimed trial.
“Until the legal process comes to a complete close, I will continue with all my Parliamentary duties and Town Council responsibilities – including, but not limited to, Meet-the-People sessions, estate walks, house visits, Hammer outreaches, amongst others,” he said.
He said that when he first entered politics, he was “under no illusion as to the challenges that lay ahead in building a more balanced and democratic political system in Singapore”.
Singh added: “Even as the work continues, it has been my privilege and honour to be part of a Workers’ Party team that advances this cause.
“I will continue to play my part in this endeavour and I thank all Singaporeans for your continued support for the efforts of the Workers’ Party. Let’s press on.”
Singh arrived at the State Courts at around 10.45am and was unrepresented. He sought a four-week adjournment to engage a lawyer.
The issue arose after a parliamentary committee was convened in November 2021 to look into a lying controversy involving his party’s former 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. It recommended referring him to the public prosecutor for further investigations with a view to consider criminal proceedings, which Parliament later endorsed.
In the charge sheets, Singh was said to have given a false answer to the committee’s questions on December 10 and 15, 2021.
On one occasion, he had said after an Aug 8 meeting between him, Ms Khan and WP leaders Sylvia Lim and Faisal Manap, that he had wanted Ms Khan to clarify that she had lied in Parliament on Aug 3.
On two other occasions, he had said that during a meeting with Ms Khan on Oct 3, he had asked her to come clean about her lie if the issue was brought up in the House on Oct 4.
Lying in response to questions posed by a parliamentary committee is considered a criminal offence under the Act, and carries a maximum fine of $7,000 and a jail term of up to three years or both.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers said it will be asking the Court to impose a fine for each of the charges, if Singh is convicted.
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