PV Chief Lim Tean questions timing of charges against WP's Pritam Singh

SINGAPORE: Lim Tean, the leader of the alternative party Peoples Voice (PV), expressed "gravest disquiet" over the extensive delay before Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh, faced charges for allegedly providing false information to a parliamentary committee.

Emphasizing the more than 2-year gap before Mr Singh was charged, Lim Tean questioned the timing of these charges, particularly as Singapore approaches a looming  General Election.

Lim Tean raised questions regarding the investigation into Pritam Singh's case, juxtaposing it with the relatively swift investigation into another case involving former PAP Minister Iswaran.

Lim Tean pointed out that Mr Iswaran's case saw a swift investigation by the CPIB, resulting in charges within 7 months, later reduced to 27 counts.

"Was the Pritam case so difficult to investigate in comparison to the Iswaran case? Or were there other reasons why the charges against Pritam Singh were only brought now?"

Besides Lim Tean, Mr Leong Mun Wai, a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has also spoken out regarding recent developments.

He expressed solidarity with Mr Singh amid the ongoing legal proceedings.

WP Chief Pritam Singh affirms MP commitment amid legal challenges

On 19 March, Pritam Singh, who is also the Secretary-General of the Workers’ Party (WP), pleaded not guilty to two charges of providing false information to a parliamentary committee.

He affirmed his commitment to fulfilling his parliamentary and town council duties “until the legal process comes to a complete close”.

The controversy ignited when former WP MP Raeesah Khan falsely claimed in Parliament in 2021 that she had accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station, alleging that the victim had received insensitive treatment by the police.

After two further misleading statements in Parliament, in August and October 2021, Raeesah finally admitted in November 2021 that her claim was untrue, prompting an investigation that would ensnare Singh and Faisal.

A probe led by the Committee of Privilege (COP) was launched on 27 November 2021 to scrutinize Raeesah’s fabrications.

In February 2022, the Singapore Parliament voted to refer the conduct of Singh and Faisal to the Public Prosecutor, aligning with the committee’s recommendation in its 1,180-page report following the hearings.

After nearly two years of investigation, Mr Singh was charged with two counts of offences under section 31(q) of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act for allegedly providing false answers during his examination by the Committee of Privilege.

These offences could lead to a fine of up to S$7,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years. Singh appeared in State Court to plead not guilty to the charges against him.

COP does not question Ms Khan’s credibility: Singh

In the February 2022 motion debate, Singh said: “the COP’s case at its highest relies on one pillar – it believes Ms Khan’s evidence that she had been told to take her lie to the grave. This belief rests on an uncorroborated piece of evidence, a WhatsApp text originating from Ms Khan herself.”

He added, “The COP deems the fact of its contemporaneousness to be critical in coming to its conclusion. The COP does not question Ms Khan’s credibility even though she was the one who lied in this House, by her own admission, and even though she also lied when she first communicated with me about this matter.”

In rejecting the second part of the motion, which seeks to refer the two to the Public Prosecutor, Singh said, “While Mr Faisal and myself are prepared to be referred to the Public Prosecutor, we don’t agree with this particular paragraph because the basis of the referral to the Public Prosecutor is from the findings of the Committee of Privileges and we reject the allegation that we told half-truths.”