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By Bing Hong Lok
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -A Singapore court on Monday found opposition party leader Pritam Singh guilty on two counts of lying to parliament, handing down fines that spared him a loss of his seat and a ban from this year's general election.
Singh, leader of the Workers' Party, received two fines of S$7,000 ($5,231), which were below the threshold of S$10,000 per offence outlined in the constitution for a lawmaker to lose their seat and be barred from public office for five years.
Singh, 48, said the verdict was disappointing and he would appeal the decision.
The ruling could dent the image of the Workers’ Party as it gears up for a general election due by November this year, having made inroads against the ruling People's Action Party in the last contest in 2020, when it expanded its parliamentary seats to 10 from six.
The Workers' Party has since suffered blows from the resignations of two lawmakers, one over a false statement to parliament and another stepping down over an extramarital affair.
'NUMEROUS OBSTACLES'
The charges against Singh stemmed from allegations he gave false testimony to a parliamentary committee in 2021 about a fellow party member, Raeesah Khan, lying to parliament.
Singh had maintained he had urged Khan to own up to parliament about her lie, but Judge Luke Tan on Monday said there was ample evidence and witness testimony to prove otherwise.
"Ms Khan admitted to other WP leaders she had lied, there was absolutely no follow-up from the accused," Tan told the court. "This could only be because the accused had mentioned that this, and quote, was 'probably something we would have to take to the grave'."
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's People's Action Party is almost certain to dominate and win most seats in the upcoming election, as it has in every vote since independence in 1965, although its share of the popular vote will be closely watched after one of its worst electoral performances in 2020.
Wong is set to deliver his budget speech on Tuesday, expected to focus on cost of living issues, employment and housing, buoyed by a stronger-than-expected growth last year and lower inflation.
Opposition leader Singh said Monday's verdict would not dent his party's morale ahead of the election.
"I leave it to the public again to determine how they want to exercise their vote in what we in the Workers' Party believe is the need of the hour in Singapore, which is the evolution towards a more balanced political system," he told reporters.
"We have met with numerous obstacles in the course of our political lives. We have shown resilience and in that regard, this case won't be any different."
(Reporting by Bing Hong Lok; Additional reporting by Xinghui Kok; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Sharon Singleton)
