Singapore opposition leader charged with lying to parliament

Singapore's opposition leader Pritam Singh has been charged with lying under oath over a case involving a former lawmaker in his party.

He is accused of lying under oath before a parliamentary committee.

Raeesah Khan was fined confessing she had lied about an incident where she accused police of mishandling a matter involving a sexual assault victim.

She later said Mr Singh encouraged her to continue her narrative despite finding out it was not true.

If found guilty, he faces a jail term of up to three years or a maximum fine of S$7,000, or both.

In August 2021, Ms Khan - then a lawmaker from the Workers' Party - initially claimed she accompanied the victim to the police station and alleged police misbehaved towards the victim. But she refused to provide details of the visit when pressed, and admitted in November that year that the anecdote was not true.

Ms Khan was fined S$35,000 for lying and abusing her parliamentary privilege. She has since resigned from the party.

A parliamentary committee tasked at looking into the incident concluded that Mr Singh had not been truthful while under oath and recommended further investigation by the public prosecutor.

Parliament voted in favour of the committee's recommendation in February 2022.

In Singapore, MPs who are convicted of an offence could lose their seats.

Elections are due to be held in Singapore by 23 November 2025.