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Workers' Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh, 48, has failed in his bid to have his case heard in the High Court , CNA reported on Sep. 9, 2024. Singh, 48, faces two charges of lying to a Committee of Privileges over Raeesah Khan's case.
Singh is represented by lawyers Aristotle Emmanuel Eng Zhen Yang and Andre Darius Jumabhoy from Andre Jumabhoy LLC. Jumabhoy and Eng referred to the case of S Iswaran, whose case was transferred to the High Court. In that case, the prosecution applied for the transfer, and the defence agreed to the transfer.
Singh's lawyers added that there was a "strong public interest" for the case to be heard in the High Court, arguing that Singh's case is potentially more impactful than Iswaran's, as the former was charged under an act that extends to all members of parliament. The prosecution opposed the application, saying that Iswaran's case had been referred to the High Court under a different section. Deputy attorney-general and senior counsel Ang Cheng Hock said there can be no comparison between the two cases.
He said the reason why the prosecution asked for Iswaran’s case to be transferred was the potential impact of the interpretation of the provision, which would impact civil servants in a wide range of different roles, and that these considerations do not apply in Singh's case. In Singh's case, the sole issue is whether the prosecution can prove beyond reasonable doubt that Singh had lied while giving answers to the committee, which Ang described as a "purely factual inquiry". He clarified that "public interest" refers to what is in the public good, and not the fact that members of the public are interested in a case.
Singh's application was initially made under Section 240 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Ang said. The prosecution then said they were "unable to accede to this request". Ang said that at this point, Singh and his lawyers should have applied for a judicial review of the prosecution's decision.
Instead, he pointed out that Singh's lawyers filed a criminal motion under Section 239 of the Criminal Procedure Code instead. Ang said that under that section, Singh would need to show that he would be unlikely to obtain a fair and impartial trial by the State Courts. Section 239 of the Criminal Procedure Code states that the High Court may order a transfer for any of three reasons: Singh is facing two charges.
This was after he allegedly wilfully gave a false answer on Dec 10, 2021, and Dec 15, 2021, in the public hearing room at Parliament House. This was during an inquiry before the Committee of Privileges, pertaining to Raeesah Khan's case. The former MP had lied over a sexual assault case and accused the police of mishandling it.
Singh allegedly testified falsely. He said he had wanted Khan to clarify what she said in parliament about accompanying a rape victim to a police station, and that he spoke to Khan as he wanted to convey to her that she had to clarify what she said over the same issue. If convicted of lying under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act, he could be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$7,000, or both per charge.
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) previously said it would be seeking a fine for each of Singh's charges if he is convicted. Top photo via Shin Min Daily News.
