Singapore’s opposition leader Pritam Singh has been found guilty of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.
The charges against Singh relate to his handling of Raeesah Khan, a former lawmaker from his party, who lied to parliament in a separate case.
The outcome of this well-known test comes as Singapore prepares for its upcoming common vote, which may take place before November. Singh’s Workers ‘ Party holds nine out of 87 elected seats in parliament.
In Singapore, any MP can lose their seat or be barred from running for office for five years if they are fined at least S$ 10, 000 ($ 7, 440, £5, 925 ) or jailed for more than a year.
According to District Judge Luke Tan, who delivered the ruling on Monday to a crowded court on Monday and live-streamed it to more members of the press, some pieces of evidence indicated Singh “never wanted Ms Khan to understand her ] lie.”
He even said Singh had “direct and personal presence” in guiding Khan to maintain her tale.
Prosecutors are seeking a fine of S$ 7, 000 ($ 5, 200, £4, 200 ) for each of Singh’s two charges.
Singh, 48, argued throughout the test that he had wanted to give Khan time to resolve a contentious issue.