Key developments in Day 8 of the trial, including witness testimony and evidence disputes.
The trial of Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh continued on October 23, 2024, with the judge ruling against the full disclosure of unredacted messages from key prosecution witness Yudhishthra Nathan.
Key Rulings and Developments:
Judge’s Decision on Message Logs: Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan denied an application by Singh’s lawyer to access both unredacted and redacted message logs from Nathan. The judge found no legal basis for the full disclosure of these messages, as they were irrelevant to Singh’s guilt or innocence.
Relevance of Redacted Messages: While the messages were redacted during the Committee of Privileges (COP) inquiry, the judge maintained that they did not meet the criteria for disclosure under case law. The redacted and unredacted versions already admitted as evidence were sufficient for assessing the credibility of Nathan’s testimony.
Witness Testimony:
Nathan’s Testimony: The defence continued to challenge Nathan’s credibility. Singh’s lawyer, Andre Jumabhoy, questioned why Nathan had failed to mention a significant part of his meeting with Singh on October 12, 2021, to the COP. Nathan had stated that Singh discussed changing the party’s strategy regarding Raeesah Khan’s false claim in Parliament.
Nathan argued that the meeting was long, and it did not occur to him to mention the exchange during the COP session.
The defence suggested that Nathan fabricated the conversation, which he denied.
Context of the Case:
Singh is contesting two charges for allegedly lying to the COP, which was formed to investigate Raeesah Khan’s false statement in Parliament regarding her experience accompanying a sexual assault victim to a police station in August 2021. Khan later admitted to the lie in November 2021.
The trial continues as further testimonies and evidence are reviewed to assess the truthfulness of the parties involved.
