Pants on Fire
A Singaporean court on Monday convicted opposition leader Pritam Singh on charges of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee that was investigating a former party lawmaker, a verdict that could disqualify him from running in national elections expected later this year, Agence France-Presse reported.
Singh, the leader of the Workers’ Party (WP), was found guilty on two counts of lying to a committee investigating one of the party’s lawmakers, Raeesah Khan.
Khan resigned from parliament in 2021 after admitting she fabricated a story about accompanying a sexual assault survivor to file a police report, falsely claiming that officers made insensitive remarks.
Prosecutors alleged that Singh attempted to downplay his responsibility as party leader by lying about his knowledge of the false testimony.
In its ruling, the court sentenced the opposition leader to the maximum fine of more than $5,200 for each charge, bringing the total to more than $10,400. Under Singapore’s constitution, a person fined at least $7,450 or jailed for one year is disqualified from running for election or holding a parliamentary seat for five years, the Bangkok Post noted.
The ruling comes as Singapore prepares for its first general election under new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong of the long-ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).
The PAP – which has governed the city-state since 1959 – has faced a series of challenges ahead of the upcoming November vote, with corruption scandals and misconduct cases involving high-profile lawmakers.
The WP gained national attention in the 2020 elections after securing 10 parliamentary seats – its best performance since independence.
However, observers explained that the verdict is a major setback for the WP, which has been seeking to expand its foothold in a political system dominated by the PAP.
Legal analysts noted that Singh’s political future now depends on how the constitution is interpreted because it remains unclear whether his conviction will automatically bar him from the upcoming election.
The opposition leader said he would appeal the decision and still planned to run in the elections.
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