Singapore Court Upholds Guilty Verdict for Political Rival Pritam Singh

In a notable court decision, Singapore's main political rival Pritam Singh has failed in his challenge against a conviction of lying to a legislative panel.

In February, Singh was ordered to pay S$14,000 for two charges connected with his management of former lawmaker Raeesah Khan, who had confessed to lying in parliament.

During a brief hearing before a full public gallery on Friday, the presiding judge declared that the evidence presented upheld Singh's conviction.

Reaction from the Accused

Singh, who heads the main opposition Workers' Party, expressed that he was "disheartened" with the ruling but accepted it "fully and without reservation".

He settled his fines at the courthouse following the hearing. "Might as well get it done," he commented to the press.

Despite the conviction, Singh keeps his seat in parliament and stated his commitment to continue serving Singaporeans together with his party members.

Background of the Case

The controversy began in 2021 when Raeesah Khan claimed in parliament that she had witnessed police misbehave towards a survivor.

She later confessed her anecdote was untrue, but testified during a official inquiry that party leaders, such as Singh, had advised her to "stick to the story" even though they were aware it was a lie.

Khan has since resigned from both the party and parliament. She was penalized S$35,000 for lying and abusing her parliamentary privilege.

Judicial Reasoning

In February, the court ruled that Singh's actions were "strongly indicative" that he did not want Khan to correct the falsehood.

Singh, who maintained his innocence during the entire proceedings, countered that he had wanted to give Khan time to handle what was a sensitive issue.

Points Contested

During the November court session, Singh's legal counsel argued that the lower court had "ignored crucial pieces of evidence" in its original ruling.

The defense also sought to cast doubt on the credibility of Khan and her aides, who served as witnesses.

When questioned why Singh appeared to be "taking no action" to have Khan own up in the weeks after learning of her lie, his lawyer stated that he had other pressing commitments to attend to.

The state's attorneys, however, maintained that Singh's inaction, alongside other evidence, proved he never intended for Khan to come clean.

Broader Context

Singh's case is notable as one of the rare criminal convictions against a sitting opposition lawmaker.

Observers have previously accused Singapore's government of using the judiciary to pursue its rivals—allegations that the government have consistently denied.

The Workers' Party is the sole rival group in Singapore's current parliament, where it occupies 12 out of 99 seats.