SINGAPORE: The leader of Singapore's opposition was charged Tuesday with two counts of giving false testimony before a parliamentary committee during a probe into one of his party members, police and prosecutors said.
Pritam Singh, head of the Workers' Party, was charged at the State Courts for having twice "falsely testified" before the committee in December 2021 -- if found guilty, he faces a fine or imprisonment not exceeding three years.
He is accused of "wilfully making false answers to material questions put to him during examination by the (committee)," police and the prosecution said in a joint statement.
Singh said on social media that he pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. A spokesman for his party added the next hearing was scheduled for May 10.
"Until the legal process comes to a complete close, I will continue with all my Parliamentary duties and Town Council responsibilities," Singh wrote in a post on Instagram.
The hearings revolved around parliamentarian Raeesah Khan, who had accused Singapore police of insensitive behaviour toward a woman sexual assault victim.
Khan claimed during a parliamentary session on empowering women to have gone with the woman to the police station to file a report but later admitted she made up the story.
She has since vacated her parliamentary seat and resigned from the party.
As the Workers' Party chief, Singh was invited to the parliamentary committee as a witness.
Singh falsely told the committee that he had wanted Khan to admit she had made up the story, according to the charges.
"When I first entered politics some years ago now, I was under no illusion as to the challenges that lay ahead in building a more balanced and democratic political system in Singapore," Singh said on Instagram.
Parliament is dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled Singapore uninterrupted since 1959.
The PAP won 83 seats during the 2020 general elections, with the Workers' Party taking 10 to hold the largest opposition in the legislature. -- AFP