Primam Singh, the leader of the opposition of Singapore, was found guilty of lying under the oath
On Monday, the Singapore Court declared a leader of the opposition state to be guilty of lying under the oath of parliament, in a case that has stuck the ground because it has increased the appearance that it will disqualify it from duty.
Singh, a member of the parliament and head of the main opposition party, a working party, was convicted of two points of lying of the Parliamentary Committee under the oath, and was fined $ 7,000 with $ 7,000, about $ 5,220, for each point. Plans to regret.
But Mr. Singh may remain on duty and run in this year’s election. According to the Singapore Constitution, parliament members may not have been unable to duty for five years if fined $ 10,000 or more for one work.
The case could diminish the reputation and credibility of the party among hesitant voters.
But Mr. Singh emphasized that his party is part of “evolution to a more balanced political system.”
Mr Singh, 48, is the first leader of the opposition in Singapore who was formally marked as such. This is the result of the 2020 elections in which his party won a record 10 out of 93 places in parliament. The legislation was still superiorly controlled by the People’s Action Party, which has led Singapore for decades. But that year, the PAP received one of the smallest shares of votes in its history.
According to the Law, this year’s elections must be held until November 2nd. It will be the first time the PAP will face voters under his new leader Lawrence Wong, who has become a prime minister in May. He succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, who held that post for more than two decades and is the son of a Singapore father of the founder, Lee Kuan Yew.
Mr Singha’s charges were related to his solution to another member of the Parliament from his party, Raeeesah Khan, who acknowledged that in August 2021, in August 2021, a parliament was lying in case the victim of a sexual attack was included.
The parliamentary committee was convened in November 2021 to investigate the issue, and Mr Singh was intensely questioning. The MPs then sent their case to prosecutors, who accused him of making two false statements during the committee procedure.
“The Parliamentary Committee was a real body that explored it,” said PN Balji, a political analyst and former newspaper editor. “He kept his hearing and concluded that he was afraid he was lying. It could end up censorship from Parliament, instead of going to the courts?”
Mr Singh denied the charges, and the trial began last November. On Monday, Judge Luke Tan from the State Court proclaimed him guilty in an oral judgment. Prosecutors requested a maximum sentence of $ 7,000 for each fee.
Singapore, usually an oasis of stability, has grown a number of political scandals in the last two years. In October, a Former Transport Minister was in prison through vaccination. In July 2023, Parliament President resigned for an extramarital affair with a fellow MP. That year, the real estate of two ministers, who included government bungalows, also aroused controversy.
Sui-lee wee contribute to reporting.
