Singapore, Feb 17 Singapore's opposition leader Pritam Singh has been found guilty of two counts of lying to the parliament, a judge announced on Monday.
Singh, Secretary-General of the Workers' Party (WP) and leader of the opposition in the parliament, was convicted in connection with an investigation into former WP lawmaker Raeesah Khan, who resigned in 2021 after admitting to making false statements in the parliament.
In August 2021, Khan falsely claimed that she had accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station, where the victim was treated inappropriately. She repeated the claim before finally admitting in November 2021 that it was untrue, according to local media reports. The matter was referred to the parliament's Committee of Privileges, which launched an inquiry.
During the inquiry, Singh was accused of making false statements about his role in handling the case. The court found him guilty of lying about whether, when, and how he had advised Khan to come clean. Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan ruled that Singh's testimony was inconsistent with the facts or simply not credible, Xinhua news agency reported.
Singh's trial lasted 13 days from October to November 2024. The prosecution is seeking the maximum fine of 7,000 Singapore dollars (about 5,250 US dollars) per charge. Singh's lawyer objected to the proposed penalty, arguing that Singh was not involved in the original falsehood.
In May 2024, Lawrence Wong succeeded Lee Hsien Loong as Singapore Prime minister after Lee's two-decade tenure. Wong will lead the ruling People's Action Party into the upcoming general election, which must take place by November 2025, though the specific date has yet to be determined.
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