Singapore’s Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh, was found guilty on Monday of providing false testimony to a parliamentary committee, a verdict that could disqualify him from Parliament and bar him from contesting the upcoming general election later this year.
Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan delivered the verdict in Singapore’s State Courts, convicting Singh, 48, on two counts of wilfully providing false testimony to the Committee of Privileges (COP) during its inquiry into a case involving former party lawmaker Raeesah Khan.
The charges stem from Singh’s handling of Khan’s false statement in Parliament regarding an alleged incident where she claimed to have accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station—a statement that was later proven to be untrue.
Singh was accused of deliberately lying to the COP on two separate occasions, December 10 and December 15, 2021.
- Singh faces a maximum sentence of three years in jail, a fine of up to SGD 7,000 (USD 5,290), or both for each charge.
- Politically, his conviction could lead to his disqualification from Parliament, preventing him from contesting the general election, which must be called by November 2025.
“Any claim he made to the COP to the contrary was a lie he wilfully told,” Judge Tan stated in his ruling.
The court is expected to announce Singh’s sentencing later today. His conviction marks a significant moment in Singapore’s political landscape, potentially reshaping the opposition’s role in the upcoming elections.