Pritam Singh fined maximum S$7,000 each for both charges of lying to COP, will appeal. Here's what happened at the State Courts.

The verdict of Worker’s Party (WP) Secretary-General Pritam Singh's trial was handed down today (Feb. 17).

Here are our updates from the State Courts.

4:11pm

Workers’ Party chair Sylvia Lim, posted a media statement soon after Leader of Opposition Pritam Singh was sentenced, confirming that Singh will be appealing to the High Court against the court decision.

“The law must take its course and out of prudence, it would be unwise for the Party to comment on the merits of the matter,” said Lim.

She said the WP is “no stranger to challenges and will rise to the occasion”, as they have done “many times in the past".

“We are grateful to all who have stood by us through good times and bad, and will continue to work to earn the support of all Singaporeans,” Lim said.

4pm

Pritam Singh addressed the media outside the State Courts at around 4pm as rain began pouring.

He confirmed that he would appeal against both his conviction and sentence, saying he would "let that process take its course [and] see what the result is."

He also said he would contest in the upcoming general election and thanked those who supported him.

More from Singh's comments to the media here:

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Feb. 17, the Elections Department confirmed that to be disqualified, an MP must be convicted of a single sentence upwards of a year's jail, or a S$10,000 fine.

Multiple sentences cannot be added together.

3:37pm

Pritam Singh posted a statement on social media at around 3:40pm, saying that he will be appealing against the sentence.

"I have instructed my legal team to file a notice of appeal and to look into the written judgment in closer detail," he wrote.

He also posted his defence submissions on the Leader of the Opposition's website.

Along with his statement, Singh posted a screenshot of a ministerial statement from 1976, regarding a corruption case involving Wee Toon Boon.

In 1975, then-Minister of State for Environment Wee was found guilty and charged with corruption involving a sum of over S$800,000.

He was also convicted and sentenced to four years and six months in jail.

The statement read that as a result of the conviction and sentence of three years' imprisonment imposed for Wee fourth charge, he would have been automatically disqualified from remaining as a Member of Parliament (MP).

Yet an appeal led to Wee's conviction on the fourth charge being quashed.

After the appeal, Wee’s other convictions, which came with six months’ imprisonment sentences, were upheld. Wee's total sentence was 18 months.

Singapore’s constitution at the time stated that in order to be disqualified from being a MP, a convicted member must be sentenced to no less than 12 months' imprisonment or to a fine of no less than S$2,000 for each charge.

“Mr. Wee would not by virtue of his convictions and sentences, be disqualified from remaining as a MP,” the statement read.

3:30pm

Singh’s sentence is being delivered.

For each of the two charges, Singh was given a fine of S$7,000 fine or a month’s jail in default, by Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan.

This means that Singh will be jailed if he does not pay the fines.

Tan said the key issue lies specifically if “appreciable harm” may be caused by Singh’s false answer.

Tan said no actual harm was caused to Raeesah Khan, the subject of the Committee of Privilleges’ enquiry.

The judge found that Raeesah was the one most likely affected by Singh’s lie if it was believed.

The judge agreed with the prosecutors that Raeesah was not adversely affected by Singh’s falsehood.

Listing other relevant factors in his statement, including Singh’s awareness that his false answer could lead to harm to Raeesah, Tan said the maximum fine should be imposed for each charge.

He noted that the court must send a message regarding giving a truthful message while under affirmation or oath.

More from the judge's decision here:

3:22pm

Court proceedings are set to resume, with the public gallery around three-quarters full as parties return from lunch.

Both prosecution and defence have returned to the courtroom.

Workers’ Party Members of Parliament (MPs) Dennis Tan and Gerald Giam are sitting in the third row of the gallery.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan has also re-entered the courtroom.

12:13pm

The court has called for a break and will resume at 3:15pm.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan will announce the sentencing at this point.

11:50am

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Wong Woon Kwong asked for a S$7,000 fine per charge, the maximum possible.

He said Singh lied to "protect his own political capital" and doubled down on his lie in court.

However, since his actions did not cause "appreciable harm", Wong said they did not warrant a jail term.

Imposing the maximum fine sends a message on the importance of giving truthful evidence while under oath, said Wong.

Defence lawyer Andre Jumabhoy asked for a S$4,000 fine for each charge.

Jumabhoy argued that the fault is not that Pritam Singh told Raeesah Khan to continue the lie, but that he did not tell her not to lie.

Though Jumabhoy agreed that a fine was appropriate, he said the quantum should be lower.

Raeesah was an adult who took an oath and chose to lie before parliament on her own volition, he said.

“It would be a very different thing if, on Aug. 3, 2021, she was instigated to tell that lie. But that’s not the prosecution’s case,” Jumabhoy remarked.

11:47am

Pritam Singh was found guilty of both charges under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act.

The first was for claiming that he wanted Raeesah Khan to clarify her lie in parliament at some point.

The second was for telling the Committee of Privileges that he had advised Raeesah Khan to come clean in parliament.

11:43am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan also addressed Singh’s lack of “documentary or testimonial evidence”.

WP Chair Sylvia Lim and WP Vice Chair Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap, who were present at the meeting on Aug. 8, 2021, were both not called to court despite having the opportunity to.

Saying that Singh must have realised his “lack of evidence” when he tried to rely on Lim and Faisal’s account to the COP, Tan said the defence made more extensive and liberal references to their accounts.

As both were not called to court, such “copious references” to their comments outside this court were inadmissible.

11:34am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said that former WP leader Low Thia Khiang played a “pivotal role” in getting Raeesah Khan to clarify her untruth.

“More than anyone else involved,” Low is “trusted and respected,” said Tan.

He added Low’s evidence was not challenged by either sides in court via cross-examination.

11:21am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan found Raeesah Khan to be a credible witness.

Noting that the defence had attempted to impeach Raeesah three times based on the credibility of her statements, Tan said that he agreed with the prosecutor’s argument that it was an “innocent” one, with a difference in form rather than function.

Tan added that the discrepancy did not undermine Raeesah’s account of the Aug. 8 meeting or was sufficient grounds for her to be impeached.

As Raeesah was willing to shoulder the whole blame for the matter and always showed respect and reverence for Singh, she had no reason to falsely implicate Singh.

Tan also found that former WP members Loh Pei Ying and Yudhishthra Nathan had no reason to lie or falsely implicate Singh, as they were long-time WP members till 2022 and were heavily invested in WP.

“In view, they have shown great courage in testifying in court, and they have also left the party where they spent many years,” said Tan, adding that he gave “full weight” to their testimonies.

11:20am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said that the “extensive preparations” made by the Workers Party following the decision for Raeesah Khan to come clean contradicts Singh’s testimony that he had wanted Raeesah to clarify the lie earlier.

Prior to Raeesah coming clean, Singh provided no guidance or assistance to Raeesah to clarify the lie even though it could have a “devastating impact” on the party or himself, said Tan.

Seeing the “flurry of activity” leading to the clarification of the untruth, Tan said it does not seem believable that Singh would have found it reasonable for Raeesah to clarify the lie on Oct. 4, 2021, given the lack of groundwork done.

Tan added that given Singh’s status as a seasoned politician and Raeesah’s inexperience, Singh would have known that there was not enough time to prepare Raeesah to clarify her lie on Oct. 4, 2021.

10:54am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said he believed Pritam Singh only agreed for Raeesah Khan to clarify the lie after receiving advice from former WP leader Low Thia Khiang.

After the meeting with Low, Singh told former WP members Loh Pei Ying and Yudhishthra Nathan that the WP would “survive the fallout” if the lie was clarified -- reassurance that was given by Low.

It was also after the meeting that Singh gave Raeesah Khan explicit instructions to clarify the lie.

10:40am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said Pritam Singh’s account on the Oct. 3 meeting was uncorroborated and inconsistent with his own evidence.

For instance, Singh did not address the lie with Raeesah Khan after she was challenged by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Oct. 4, 2021, even though the action of not clarifying the lie would have been contrary to what Singh purportedly intended for her to do.

Tan said Singh’s lack of action on Oct. 4, 2021, after Raeesah doubled down on the lie was consistent with her account that “he won’t judge her”.

10:30am

Singh's second charge was with regard to a claim that he made to the Committee of Privileges (COP).

He said that after a meeting with Raeesah, WP Chair Sylvia Lim, and WP Vice Chair Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap on Aug. 8, 2021, he wanted Raeesah to, at some point, clarify in parliament that her story about having accompanied a rape victim to a police station was untrue.

During the trial, Singh told the court he wanted Raeesah to take ownership and responsibility if it came up.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said that contrary to what Pritam Singh said, Singh never intended for her to clarify the untruth in parliament in October.

10:25am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said that none of the things Singh “expected” Raeesah Khan to do—such as telling her parents about the abuse, the police report, the lie in parliament, and its repercussions—were expressly told to Khan.

“The ‘laundry list’ of all the actions he wanted [her] to do in this time, were only in his mind, and never out of his mouth.”

“By his own admission, he did not follow up with Raeesah,” said Tan, adding that this went on for almost two months.

Tan said Singh’s lack of actions coincided with Raeesah’s testimony that Singh’s position was to take the lie to the grave.

10:17am

In his account, Singh said he told Raeesah Khan to speak to her parents about the sexual assault.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan found it to be “uncorroborated” and “unbelievable” as “no one heard this”.

Singh also said that in the Aug. 8 meeting with WP leaders Sylvia Lim and Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap, they did not discuss what to do with Raeesah’s lies.

Tan said it “makes no sense” that Singh would only tell Raeesah what to do after the meeting, given that Singh had asked to have this meeting to talk about the lie.

He added that it wasn’t believable that Singh would ask Raeesah to speak to parents first before even discussing what to do about the untruth.

10:11am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan rejected the defence's attempts to discredit Raeesah Khan’s account by suggesting that Raeesah has a “proclivity for lying” and may have lied to Loh Pei Ying and Yudhishthra Nathan.

Tan said he did not find any evidence to support this.

The defence also argued that Raeesah gave three different accounts of the Aug. 8, 2021 meeting at the COP and in court.

Tan said careful analysis of what was said before the COP and in court shows there was no real discrepancy contained in the three purportedly different accounts.

10:02am

Referring to how there was no action by Pritam Singh for almost two months following the Aug. 8, 2021 meeting, Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said, Singh was "the secretary-general and the highest ranking member at the meeting", and that one would expect he would be well-placed to instruct Raeesah to clarify the lie if that was his intention.

Tan also found that Raeesah would have “no reason to lie” to Loh and Nathan about her discussion with WP leaders, given her “close relationships” with them.

Tan added that if Raeesah had lied, Loh and Nathan would likely have found out from Singh.

9:45am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said he finds that Pritam Singh made a false answer to the COP that he wanted Raeesah Khan to clarify that the anecdote was untrue.

He said the "circumstantial and corroborative evidence" indicates what Raeesah said of her meeting with Singh on Aug. 8, 2021 was true, and that Singh's actions "strongly indicated" that he did not want Raeesah to clarify the untruth at some point.

The testimony of witnesses Loh Pei Ying, Yudhishthra Nathan, and Low Thia Khiang also support Raeesah’s account of what Singh said, the judge found.

9:40am

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said he has prepared an oral judgment and added that it’s "quite long".

He gave a summary of his main findings, starting with a recap of the case.

9:15am

Pritam Singh entered the courtroom.

A full house is expected in the public gallery today, as all 43 available tickets have been given out.

9:08am

Singh arrived at the State Court at around 9:08am.

He was swarmed by reporters outside the court as he arrived.

He was accompanied by defence lawyers Andre Jumabhoy and Aristotle Emmanuel Eng Zhen Yang.

When asked if he had a few words to say, he said, "After the verdict."

A journalist remarked: “You seem in high spirits.”

Pritam replied, “Is that so?” and smiled.

8:52am

Prosecutors arrived at the State Courts.

The team, led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Wong Woon Kwong, includes Deputy Public Prosecutors Sivakumar Ramasamy, Tan Ben Mathias, and Lu Huiyi.

8:38am

Workers’ Party Members of Parliament (MPs) Dennis Tan, Gerald Giam, and Jamus Lim arrived at the State Courts at 8:38am, dressed in blue.

They were given the final three tickets to the courtroom's public gallery, out of the 43 available.

8:35am

Among those with tickets to the hearing was bank employee Darren Tan, 24, who told Mothership he took leave to attend today.

Tan said his interest in the trial stemmed from it being “a high public interest case,” as Singh is “well-regarded as a very good opposition leader.”

He added that he had felt “disappointed” and “betrayed” when he learned of Raeesah’s lie in parliament and that it was a “hard pill to swallow”.

8am

Members of the public were given tickets to attend the hearing.

There were 15 out of 43 tickets available as of 8am.

Previously, 43 people were allowed to attend the first day of Singh’s trial on Oct. 14, 2024.

The number of tickets remained the same for today.

Media and members of the public awaited Singh’s arrival outside the State Courts.

Some arrived as early as 6am this morning.

What was Singh charged for?

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh went on trial for two charges relating to what he told the COP, which was set up to look into former WP Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan and her untruth in parliament.

Singh had told the COP that when he spoke to Raeesah on Oct. 3, 2021, he wanted her to admit to having lied to parliament on Aug. 3, 2021, about having accompanied a rape victim to a police station, if this issue were to come up in parliament on Oct 4, 2021.

Singh’s other charge was for falsely testifying that at the end of a meeting with Raeesah, WP Chair Sylvia Lim and WP Vice Chair Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap on Aug. 8, 2021, he wanted Raeesah to, at some point, clarify in parliament that her story about having accompanied a rape victim to a police station was untrue.

If convicted, Singh faces a penalty of up to S$7,000 for each of the two charges, and/or a jail term of up to three years.

Singh will not be disqualified as an MP unless he is convicted and fined more than S$10,000, or sentenced to jail for a term of not less than one year.

Verdict to be handed down on Feb. 17

It was previously agreed that the parties will have until Jan. 13, 2025, to file their closing submissions, and till Jan. 31, 2025, to file replies.

The court was adjourned till 9:30am on Feb. 17, 2025, when Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan will hand down the verdict for Singh's case after reviewing the closing submissions and replies.

If convicted, the judge will deliver Singh’s sentence after both sides present arguments on what they believe Singh should receive. Appeals must be filed within 14 days of the sentencing.

If Singh wishes to appeal against the decision made by the court, he must file the appeal within 14 days after the date of judgment, sentencing, or order.

Top image via Mothership