para manalo Pritam Singh goes on trial on Monday: What's the case about and what's at stake?
Updated:2024-10-15 04:06 Views:194SINGAPORE: Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh is set to go on trial on Monday (Oct 14) over alleged lies he made before a Committee of Privileges when being examined over Ms Raeesah Khan's case in the first prosecution of its kind.
Ms Khan was a Workers' Party (WP) member and a Member of Parliament for Sengkang Group Representation Constituency when she made a speech during a parliamentary debate on Aug 3, 2021.
She claimed that she had once accompanied a rape victim to make a police report, and that the police officer had made comments about the victim's dressing and consumption of alcohol.
Ms Khan later admitted in parliament on Nov 1, 2021, that this anecdote was a lie.
The Committee of Privileges (COP) was convened to investigate Ms Khan's conduct, and Singh was called up to give evidence before the committee over three days in December 2021.
In the committee's report, it found that Singh had lied on affirmation and parliament referred the matter to the public prosecutor, which charged Singh in March.
Khan later resigned from WP and as an MP, and was given a S$35,000 (US$26,750) fine on the COP's recommendations.
SINGH'S CHARGESSingh, 48, faces two charges under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act for wilfully making two false answers on Dec 10 and Dec 15 in 2021 during the inquiry into Ms Khan's case.
He is believed to be the first to be prosecuted under the said Act.
While being examined before the COP in the public hearing room at Parliament House, Singh is accused of falsely testifying that:
At the conclusion of his meeting with Ms Khan and WP members Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap on Aug 8, 2021, Singh wanted Ms Khan to clarify at some point in parliament that what she had said about accompanying a rape victim to a police station was untrue. When Singh spoke to Ms Khan on Oct 3, 2021, he wanted to convey to Ms Khan that if the issue came up in parliament the next day, she had to clarify that her story about accompanying the rape victim was a lie.The charge sheets are 17 and 20 pages long respectively as they contain extracts of the transcript between Singh and Minister for Culturepara manalo, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who was questioning Singh. Both men are lawyers themselves.
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