Pritam Singh, the Leader of the Opposition and head of the Workers’ Party (WP), was charged on March 19, 2024, with two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee. These charges come two years after police launched an investigation into Singh’s conduct during hearings before the Committee of Privileges, which was formed in 2021 to investigate former WP MP Raeesah Khan’s false statements in Parliament.

The charges against Singh stem from his testimony before the committee, where he was accused of giving false answers while under oath. The Committee of Privileges later concluded that Singh had not been truthful during the hearings and referred him to the public prosecutor for further investigation. This decision was endorsed by Parliament, leading to the current charges under Section 31(q) of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities, and Powers) Act.

Standing in the dock, Singh, 47, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He requested a four-week adjournment to secure legal representation, and a pre-trial conference has been scheduled for April 17, 2024. The charges he faces carry a maximum fine of S$7,000 or a jail term of up to three years, or both.

The controversy revolves around Khan’s admission in November 2021 that she had lied in Parliament about accompanying a sexual assault victim to a police station. Initially, Khan had made the false claim during parliamentary debates on August 3 and October 4, 2021, but later admitted that her statements were untrue.

Singh has denied the allegations against him and maintained that although he gave Khan more time to clarify her lie, it was out of sympathy for her situation as a sexual assault survivor. The Committee of Privileges, however, concluded that Singh played a “key and leading role” in advising Khan not to come clean.

Observers are closely watching the developments in the case, as Singh faces the possibility of losing his seat as an MP if convicted and sentenced to a jail term of at least one year or fined at least S$2,000. However, following amendments to the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities, and Powers) Act in May 2022, the fine threshold for disqualification has been raised to S$10,000.