Pritam Singh denies telling Raeesah Khan to 'take her lie to the grave'

Pritam Singh, Secretary-General of the Workers' Party, testified in court on Tuesday (5 Nov), clarifying that he did not instruct former WP Member of Parliament Raeesah Khan to continue the falsehood she told Parliament on 3 August 2021, nor did he tell her to take the lie to the grave. On Tuesday morning, while standing trial for perjury in relation to Khan, the Leader of the Opposition expressed disappointment that his sensitivity and gentleness towards Khan, a rape victim, in encouraging her to come forward about her lie had, in fact, exacerbated the situation. Singh has been called to present his defence after a State Court judge determined that the prosecution had established a sufficient case against him. The trial, resumed after a week-long break, is now in its tenth day and scheduled to continue until 13 November. Singh, who is also a Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC, is contesting two charges under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act. The charges relate to testimony he gave to the Committee of Privileges (COP) on 10 and 15 December 2021 concerning a falsehood told by Khan on 3 Aug 2021. Khan had lied in parliament by claiming she had accompanied a rape victim to a police station. Singh’s charges arise from his testimony to the COP, which was convened to investigate  Khan’s conduct. The first charge alleges that Singh lied when he stated that he wanted Khan to clarify her untruth in Parliament during their meeting on 8 August 2021, along with WP leaders Sylvia Lim and Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap. The second charge alleges that he provided false answers to the parliamentary committee when he claimed that he told Khan on 3 October 2021 to clarify her story about the rape survivor if the issue arose in Parliament the following day. When queried by his lawyer, Andre Jumabhoy, Singh recalled meeting Khan at a Meet-the-People session in 2019, after which she became his case writer. After observing her work for a few months, during which she demonstrated commendable traits for public service, Singh assigned her to what later became Sengkang GRC, which required a Malay candidate. He testified regarding his handling of former WP MP Raeesah Khan’s false parliamentary statement. Singh’s account, presented over multiple exchanges, focused on his discussions with Khan and WP leaders, along with his reasoning for decisions made during the process. Singh firmly denied advising Khan to uphold her falsehood and stated that his sensitive approach, considering Khan’s personal trauma, may have inadvertently aggravated the issue. Below is a chronological account of his actions regarding Khan's lie, based on Singh’s testimony.

Early August 2021: Initial doubts over Khan’s account

3–5 August 2021 Following Khan’s statement in Parliament on 3 August about accompanying a rape survivor to the police, Singh began questioning the validity of her account. On 5 August, Singh messaged Khan, “Any luck contacting the lady in question?” and asked which group introduced her to the victim. Singh testified that her defensive responses led him to suspect “something more to this.” 7 August 2021 During a phone call with Khan, Singh pressed her for further details on the anecdote, reportedly stating, “I’m the secretary-general of this party, and I want to know whether this happened or not.” Khan then abruptly admitted, “No, it did not happen.” Singh, visibly frustrated, ended the call and arranged a follow-up meeting with WP leaders Sylvia Lim and Faisal Manap. 8 August 2021 In a meeting at Singh’s home, Lim and Manap joined Singh to discuss the lie with Khan. Singh described how Khan became “quite emotional” and disclosed her past experience of sexual assault, leaving the leaders visibly shocked. Singh testified that, given her state, he advised her to inform her parents and did not make a firm decision on addressing the falsehood. When questioned by Judge Luke Tan, Singh reiterated, “No, I did not” advise her to “take the lie to the grave.” Instead, he stated, “It would be better for her to settle herself, and then we would deal with the matter when she was ready.”

Mid-August to September 2021: Internal discussions and party priorities

10 August 2021 Singh testified that he met WP cadres Loh Pei Ying and Yudhishthra Nathan. Loh remarked on how sexual assault victims “have a tendency to lie,” which Singh understood as a reference to Khan’s disclosure. Singh stated that Loh and Nathan’s awareness of Khan’s trauma added to the situation’s complexity. September 2021 Khan’s lie remained unaddressed in the September Parliament session, as she was unwell with shingles, and WP was preparing for the upcoming debates on the Progress Singapore Party initiated motion on free trade agreements such as India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca) and the second reading of the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA). Singh explained that his duties as party Whip and other obligations delayed a direct discussion with Khan about her falsehood.

October 2021: Singh’s attempts to encourage Khan to clarify the lie

1 October 2021 Singh sent an email to WP MPs regarding the importance of substantiating parliamentary statements, which he confirmed was specifically intended to remind Khan that “the issue was still not settled.” 3 October 2021 Singh met Khan at her home, warning her that the lie would likely be raised in Parliament. He testified that he advised her to “take ownership and responsibility” and clarified that these words meant she “had to tell the truth.” Singh recalled that Khan appeared “nervous,” and he reassured her by saying, “I will not judge you if you take ownership and responsibility.” 4 October 2021 During the parliamentary session the next day, Khan repeated the falsehood, stating she couldn’t contact the supposed victim. Singh testified that he was “incredibly disappointed” with her decision and was hoping she would take the opportunity to clarify. Singh explained that he hadn’t seen Khan’s message, “What should I do, Pritam?” as he was focused on Law Minister K Shanmugam’s remarks at the time. After the session, Singh met briefly with Khan, expressing frustration over her decision by saying, “Look at the choice you’ve made.” He testified that this exchange marked a shift in his approach, as he realised that his earlier “sensitive and gentle” method had “made things worse.” Singh also addressed his view on the government’s likely response to Khan’s lie. Referring to then Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan’s comments that the issue would not be “swept aside,” Singh explained, “I know how the PAP operates; they would jump at the chance to fix an opposition MP.” 11 October 2021 Singh and Lim consulted with former WP leader Low Thia Khiang at Low’s home to discuss their approach. Singh described Low’s agreement that Khan should clarify her statement in Parliament, and they discussed whether a press conference could be an option to address the lie sooner. Singh explained that while a press conference could help bring the issue to light quickly, it would not replace Khan’s need to address Parliament, where the falsehood was initially made. 12 October 2021 In a follow-up meeting with Khan, Lim, Loh, and Nathan, Singh insisted that Khan draft her own statement, stating, “The only thing Ms Khan had to do was to tell the truth in Parliament.” Singh testified that he rejected Nathan’s suggestion to “triple down on the lie” by having Khan say she couldn’t confirm the details. Singh described Nathan’s suggestion as “ridiculous” and stressed the need for Khan’s personal clarification. Singh also recounted that Lim, known for her typically calm demeanour, raised her voice during the meeting to underscore the importance of addressing the matter seriously. Singh described this as the first instance where he explicitly instructed Khan on what steps she needed to take.

Late October to November 2021: Disciplinary actions and preparations for COP

29 October 2021 In a WP Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting, Singh sought to confirm Khan’s account by arranging for her to read her statement and answer questions from CEC members. Singh testified that he was concerned Khan might deviate from her account and clarified that she did not claim at any point that the leadership had advised her to sustain the lie. 1 November 2021 On Low’s suggestion, Singh, Lim, and Manap formally established a WP disciplinary panel to review Khan’s conduct. Singh testified that he informed Loh and Nathan of the panel’s formation early, as they had been involved in drafting Khan’s clarification. 8 November 2021 The panel convened with Khan, where Singh clarified that her “character and behaviour” were under review due to her repeated failure to “take ownership and responsibility.” Singh explained that her failure to address the issue following his October prompt to clarify contributed to the decision to assess her conduct formally. When asked by defence lawyer Andre Jumabhoy why WP leaders did not script Khan’s responses, Singh responded, “The instruction to Ms Khan was to simply tell the truth.” He explained that it would have been inappropriate to script responses, as the truth was “for her to share.” The trial continues on 6 November 2024, as Singh’s defence team is expected to present further details on his handling of the case and internal discussions within WP.