🔗 Share this article Judicial Body Affirms Guilty Verdict for Opposition Leader Pritam Singh Pritam Singh attended a court session in November to appeal against his guilty verdict. In a major court decision, Singapore's opposition leader Pritam Singh has lost his appeal against a guilty verdict of lying to a parliamentary committee. In February, Singh was ordered to pay S$14,000 for two charges connected with his management of former lawmaker Raeesah Khan, who had confessed to lying in parliament. During a brief hearing before a full public gallery on Friday, the presiding judge declared that the evidence presented supported Singh's guilty verdict. Reaction from the Accused Singh, who heads the main political opposition, expressed that he was "disappointed" with the decision but acknowledged it "completely and unequivocally". He settled his fines at the courthouse after the hearing. "Might as well get it done," he remarked to the press. Notwithstanding the verdict, Singh retains his seat in parliament and stated his intention to keep working for Singaporeans together with his colleagues. The Underlying Saga The controversy originated in 2021 when Raeesah Khan claimed in parliament that she had witnessed police act inappropriately towards a survivor. She later confessed her anecdote was untrue, but testified during a parliamentary committee investigation that party leaders, such as Singh, had instructed her to "stick to the story" despite knowing it was a lie. Khan has since resigned from both the party and parliament. She was fined S$35,000 for lying and abusing her parliamentary privilege. Court's Rationale In February, the court ruled that Singh's actions were "highly suggestive" that he did not want Khan to correct the falsehood. Singh, who maintained his innocence throughout the trial, countered that he had wanted to allow Khan space to deal with what was a sensitive issue. Points Contested During the appeal hearing, Singh's legal counsel argued that the initial court had "overlooked key proof" in its original ruling. The defense also attempted to question the credibility of Khan and her assistants, who served as witnesses. When questioned why Singh appeared to be "doing nothing" to have Khan confess in the weeks after learning of her lie, his lawyer stated that he had other urgent professional and personal matters to attend to. The state's attorneys, however, maintained that Singh's lack of action, alongside other evidence, proved he never intended for Khan to come clean. Broader Context Singh's case is notable as one of the rare criminal convictions against a sitting opposition lawmaker. Observers have in the past alleged Singapore's government of leveraging the courts to target its political opponents—allegations that the government have always rejected. The Workers' Party is the only opposition party in Singapore's current parliament, where it occupies 12 out of 99 seats.