Prosecution opens, Raeesah testifies: Here’s what went down on Day 1 of Pritam Singh’s trial

Leader of the Opposition and Workers’ Party (WP) MP Pritam Singh's trial started today (Oct. 14).

He faces two charges of lying to Parliament.

Watch this space as we bring you live updates.

5:53pm

Singh has left the court building.

Speaking to the media on the way out, he said: "Just let the trial proceed, and report accurately what happened. That's all I ask."

He also directed questions on the defence witnesses to his lawyer.

One reporter asked: "Do you feel tired from today?"

"No, I don't," he replied.

5:12pm

Raeesah Khan has left the court building.

5:10pm

Responding to questions about her personal statement, which she delivered in parliament on Nov. 1, Raeesah revealed that she prepared a total of nine drafts, with inputs from Singh, Sylvia Lim, and her two aides.

She added that she did not mention in her statement that she had previously told the party members about her lie as “[she] wanted to protect them and take full responsibility for [her] mistake”.

Court has been adjourned. The trial will resume at 9:30am tomorrow.

4:10pm

Court proceedings have resumed after a short break.

In response to questions by Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Sivakumar Ramasamy, Raeesah recounted that she and the WP leaders discussed coming clean a few days after she received an email from the Singapore Police Force, ordering her to come down for an interview.

Lim additionally told her that it would all “blow over” once she told the truth, and that they would support her.

They then instructed her to draft a personal statement, admitting to her mistake, to be delivered at the next Parliament sitting.

Raeesah informed her aides, Loh Pei Ying and Yudhishthra Nathan, of this. They said that they would help her with the statement and support her.

This statement was later shared with Singh, Lim, both aides, another volunteer, and the WP Central Executive Committee (CEC).

3:50pm

After the Oct. 4, 2021 Parliament sitting, Singh and Lim met Raeesah and agreed that she should consult a lawyer.

But when Raeesah suggested telling the truth to Singh, she says he responded: “It’s too late for that.”

In the aftermath of the meeting, she felt that there was “no resolution to the lie [she] told”.

She added that she was unsure of what to do, and of what kind of lawyers to contact, and felt “very anxious and really terrified”.

Singh did not bring up the anecdote in the subsequent Parliamentary sitting on Oct. 5, 2021.

They did not discuss it the day after on Oct. 6, 2021 either, Raeesah said.

3:25pm

The court heard that when law and home affairs minister K Shanmugam resurfaced the matter of the anecdote on Oct. 4, 2021, she texted Singh: “What should I do?”

This was because she was “really terrified and didn’t know what to do,” as she had not prepared for the matter to be brought up again.

She also wanted to reaffirm what he had said the day before, she added.

In addition, she checked a blue electronic device while on the podium, hoping that she would receive a reply from Singh, but none came.

Asked why she lied again when Shanmugam questioned her on whether the anecdote took place, Raeesah explained that she was afraid of what would happen if she told the truth.

It also seemed to her that from the conversation the night before, Singh was supportive of her continuing to lie, she said.

3:15pm

The night before the Parliament sitting on Oct. 4, 2021, Singh and his wife came to visit Raeesah at home.

After greeting her parents, he asked to have a chat with her and they privately discussed the next day’s sitting, she recounted.

When asked what they spoke about, Raeesah recalls that Pritam said something along the lines of him not thinking that the issue would come up, but that if it did, he wouldn't judge her for continuing the narrative.

She understood this as meaning that he would not judge her if she continued to lie, she said.

This made her feel “comforted” as she felt that she had his support. She thanked him and said she appreciated it.

She did not make any special preparations for the next day’s Parliament sitting.

3:00pm

Singh sometimes had “a very condescending tone” when communicating with her, Raeesah said.

She was referring to email correspondence between her and Singh, in which he asked: “Raeesah, have you done your own research on these questions? Why are questions 3 and 4 oral questions?”

She later forwarded a screenshot of the email to Loh and Nathan to “vent [her] frustration” at his tone, she said.

When asked why she did not confront him on his tone, Raeesah said that it was because he was the leader of the party.

In another email that the DPP brought up, Singh mentioned a debate and said it was important to “back up what you say or risk being hauled up before the Committee of Privileges (COP)”.

Raeesah said she felt that “it was almost a dig at [her]”, and that it appeared to be an attempt by Singh to placate other members of the party.

When asked why Singh might had done so, she suggested that other members might have felt like she was “getting off without repercussions” for her lie.

2:50pm

As proceedings resumed after lunch, Raeesah was asked to explain a text conversation on Aug. 10 she had with her former aides, Loh and Nathan.

Singh “looked at [Raeesah] differently” after she told him the specifics of her sexual assault in the Aug. 8 meeting, she told them.

“I told him [the truth about the anecdote] already. He looks at me different now but I think he empathises on why I lied,” she’d texted them at the time.

She had also texted them “I think it was the best outcome”, referring to the meeting in which she thought that the matter would be “taken to the grave”.

She explained to the DPP that this was because she didn’t want to deal with the ramifications of the anecdote she shared in parliament.

2:04pm

Pritam has returned to the State Courts.

His trial is expected to continue at 2:30pm.

1:15pm

During the lunch break, Singh was seen attending the parliamentary proceedings.

He left at about 1:15pm.

12:38pm

The judge has called for a lunch break.

Proceedings will resume at 2:30pm.

12:18pm

After she confessed her lie, Singh initially said that he should “probably take her to go through the Committee of Privileges”, Raeesah recounted.

He subsequently said the matter was “something we should take to the grave”, she reiterated.

Raeesah interpreted this to mean that he would not take her to the COP, and that the matter would not leave the room.

She also did not get any advice on what to do after, which further cemented her understanding that she did not have to take any further action, she said.

12:10pm

Responding to questions by the DPP relating to her sexual assault, she said through tears that she had not planned to tell her parents about her ordeal.

She added that none of the WP leaders had told her to do so.

“I don’t think any parent wants to hear that their child has been assaulted in that kind of way,” she said.

"As a mum myself, it would be so painful to hear from my daughter that something happened to her. I never intended for them to hear about the specifics of the assault, which later they did from Mr Singh in the Committee of Privileges, which he said without my permission.”

The judge asked her if she was OK to continue, and she responded that she was.

11:50am

Following the Aug. 3, 2021 conversation, Raeesah asked Singh if she was “cut out for this”, which she explained referred to her role as an MP.

She also requested to meet him to discuss her future in the party, via text messages on Aug. 4, 2021.

“I was having a lot of self-doubt, whether that [my journey as a MP] was the path I was meant to go on,” she told the court.

She subsequently confessed to Singh on Aug. 7, 2021 that the anecdote had been a lie.

When DPP Sivakumar asked why she did so, she replied that she hoped to get guidance, as Singh had been “asking a lot of questions about it” and she thought the truth would come out anyway.

11:40am

Raeesah was questioned by the DPP on the happenings of Aug. 3, 2021.

She had added the false anecdote about the sexual assault survivor into a later draft of her speech and shared it with Singh.

He added a comment for her to “substantiate” the anecdote.

But she didn’t understand the severity of what he wrote, Raeesah said.

“I thought if it was really important, he would sit down to have a conversation with me. But he didn’t.”

11:15am

After a short break, Raeesah has been called up to the stand as the prosecution’s first witness.

Looking composed, she started off by recounting her experience working as a WP MP, and how she was first approached by Singh to run as a candidate in GE2020.

The election campaign "wasn't the smoothest of journeys", she said, explaining that it was her first experience and that she didn't know what to expect.

She spoke about her view of Singh in the aftermath of the election, saying:

“I saw him as a mentor, as someone who would guide me…I revered him [as] someone I looked up to. Someone that I thought really knew everything. Someone that would have all the answers.”

11:03am

WP MPs Louis Chua, Gerald Giam, Jamus Lim, He Ting Ru, and Faisal Manap have left the State Courts.

Parliament will be sitting today (Oct. 14), at 12pm.

10:15am

Former WP chief Low Thia Khiang met Singh and Lim on Oct. 11, 2021, where he was informed that Raeesah’s anecdote was untrue, said Deputy Attorney-General Ang Cheng Hock.

He advised the two WP leaders that Raeesah should clarify the lie in Parliament “as soon as possible” and apologise.

The prosecution will present evidence from Low on the advice he gave, and on the exchange they had during the meeting.

According to CNA, Low will testify as one of five prosecution witnesses.

Here's a summary of the prosecution's opening statement:

10:00am

Raeesah’s former aides, Loh and Nathan, were identified as key witnesses in the case.

“They will shed light on what the accused had told Ms Khan,” DAG Ang said.

9:55am

After a minor dispute over the chronology of key events, DAG Ang has started reading the prosecution’s opening statement.

He said that the prosecution would proceed on both charges under Section 31Q, involving making false witness to the COP.

The two charges include two conversations involving Raeesah on Aug. 8 and Oct. 3, 2021, and are as follows:

1. Falsely testifying before the COP on Dec. 10, 2021, that at the conclusion of his meeting with Raeesah and the WP leaders on Aug. 8, 2021, he wanted Raeesah to clarify in Parliament that she had lied about having accompanied a rape victim to a police station, and;
2. Falsely testifying before the COP on Dec. 10 and 15, 2021, that when he spoke to Raeesah on Oct. 3, 2021, he wanted her to clarify that she had lied to Parliament about the anecdote, if the issue were to come up in the Parliament sitting the next day.

The conversations involved a lie that Raeesah said in Parliament on Aug. 3, 2021. Singh found out that it was untrue on Aug. 7, 2021 — four days later.

9:30am

Faisal Manap, vice-chair of the WP, arrived at around 9:30am.

He previously denied to the COP that the WP leaders told Raeesah to take the lie in Parliament "to the grave".

He was also referred to the Public Prosecutor for refusing to answer questions put to him by the COP, but was issued an advisory and not charged in the end.

9:23am

Singh has taken a seat in the court.

Several of Singh’s WP colleagues — Gerald Giam, He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim, and Louis Chua — are also seated in the public gallery.

The courtroom is nearly full, with only a few empty seats left.

9:04am

Singh arrived at the State Courts at 9:04am.

As members of the media jostled for photos and videos, he said: "If we're going to do this, someone is going to fall down."

When approached by reporters for comments, he replied: “Let’s wait for the hearing.”

8:45am

Former WP MP Raeesah Khan has arrived at the State Courts.

She was swarmed by reporters, but did not stop to speak to the media.

8:40am

As of 8:40am, 29 of 43 tickets have been given out for tickets in the public gallery.

It's raining heavily at the State Courts.

8:34am

Jamus Lim, Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC, has arrived at the State Courts.

“I appreciate your effort, but I’ve nothing else to tell you,” he told reporters.

8:30am

Singaporean influencer Xiaxue has arrived at the State Courts.

She mentioned in an Instagram Story at around 1am that she would be attending the trial, and was “so excited”.

The content creator previously shared a blow-by-blow explanation video of the Raeesah Khan case and has professed an interest in the matter.

7:53am

The case is scheduled to start at 9:30am.

Admission tickets to the hearing were issued from 7am.

As of 7:53am, 20 of the 43 tickets have been handed out.

Background

Singh's trial arises from his involvement in Raeesah Khan's case.

Singh and Raeesah were among several people who testified before the COP formed to look into her telling untruths in parliament in August and October 2021.

The COP sanctioned Raeesah for her untruths and concluded that Singh, along with fellow WP leaders Faisal Manap and Sylvia Lim had been "untruthful in their evidence, under oath, to this committee".

Singh was charged on Mar. 19, 2024, with two charges of lying to Parliament.

He's accused of falsely testifying that at the conclusion of an Aug. 8, 2021 meeting with Raeesah, Lim, and Faisal, he wanted Raeesah to clarify in Parliament that she had lied about having accompanied a rape victim to a police station.

He was also alleged to have falsely testified that when he spoke to Raeesah on Oct. 3, 2021, he wanted her to admit to having lied to Parliament about the original anecdote, if the issue were to come up in the sitting the next day.

He pleaded not guilty and a 16-day trial has been scheduled to take place between Oct. 14 and Nov. 13.

Top photo by Andrew Koay