After quite a dramatic first week of trial in early April this year, where at one point he was forced to admit he was lying in court, co-founder of sociopolitical site TheRealSingapore.com (TRS) Yang Kaiheng on Friday pleaded guilty to and was convicted of six charges of sedition.

This surprise turn of events happened earlier this week, when Yang resurfaced in court after a roughly two-month hiatus in the wake of new evidence involving his and his wife, Ai Takagi's bank accounts.

Yang, now 27, and Ai, 23, were charged last April with the same seven charges of sedition for publishing false information in a number of articles that deliberately misled the public and stirred negative sentiment among Singaporeans. They were both also accused of failing to produce documents pertaining to the site's advertising revenue to a police officer.

The remaining two charges will be taken into consideration for Yang's sentencing.

At the start of the trial for both of them earlier this year, Ai pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment, appearing to take full responsibility for the crimes committed on TRS.

Throughout the week-long first tranche of Yang's trial, he persisted in declaring his innocence and lack of involvement in the site's operations. In giving evidence on the witness stand, he initially said he was only involved in the designing of the website, largely withdrawing from day-to-day operations afterward.

Prosecutors did a tidy job of questioning the credibility of Yang's recollections, however, when it was their turn to cross-examine him on the stand.

Mothership.sg understands that Ai was supposed to take the stand and give evidence in Yang's trial when it began this week, but all that turned to naught when Yang did the about-turn and pleaded guilty to his charges.

Yang will be sentenced on Tuesday afternoon. Ai, whom we last heard in April was in the early stages of pregnancy, is currently serving her 10-month jail term.

Read more about the case:

Here’s how Deputy Public Prosecutor G Kannan tore TRS co-founder Yang Kaiheng a new one in cross-examination

The genesis of TheRealSingapore.com, as told by co-founder Yang Kaiheng

Online chats reveal how ex-TRS operator Yang Kaiheng dealt with ex-business partner

TRS editor paid off almost all of 30-year mortgage in 11 months

The Real Singapore site operator Ai Takagi gets 10 months’ jail for sedition, to start April 22

The Real Singapore made AU$474,000 in Google ad revenue in 17 months from Dec. 2013 to April 2015

Here’s how TRS editor Ai Takagi ran one of S’pore’s most visited websites

Top photo: Mothership.sg file

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