The Workers’ Party chief testifies in his trial regarding alleged lies to a parliamentary committee.
Workers’ Party (WP) leader Pritam Singh testified in court on 05/11/2024, giving his version of events about the controversy surrounding former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan’s false claims in Parliament. Singh denied telling Khan to “take the lie to the grave” during a meeting on 08/08/2021.
The trial centers on Singh’s alleged lies to a parliamentary committee regarding his handling of Khan’s false statement about accompanying a sexual assault victim to a police station. In his testimony, Singh explained that during a subsequent meeting with Khan on 03/10/2021, he told her to take ownership and responsibility for the lie, not to continue it. He clarified that his statement meant Khan needed to come clean about the falsehood, and he would not judge her if she took responsibility for it.
Singh rejected the prosecution’s argument that he and WP leaders were prepared to cover up the lie and let Khan “take it to the grave.” He further explained that, in the emotional context of Khan’s personal history, the party had chosen not to pursue the matter immediately after she confessed to lying about the incident.
Singh also described his frustrations upon learning of the lie on 07/08/2021, when Khan admitted that her story was false. He made no specific decisions on how to address the matter at that point, but was aware that the government would likely investigate Khan’s claims.
