SINGAPORE, Feb 18 — Opposition leader Pritam Singh remains eligible to contest the next General Election, as the sentences for his offences do not meet the threshold for disqualification, the Elections Department (ELD) confirmed.
On Monday (February 17), Singh was found guilty of two charges of lying to Parliament over false testimonies he gave to a Committee of Privileges on December 10 and December 15, 2021, according to a report published in Channel News Asia.
The testimonies were part of an inquiry into former Workers’ Party (WP) MP Raeesah Khan’s conduct.
He was fined S$7,000 (RM33,000) for each charge, the maximum penalty allowed.
In a statement after the sentencing, the ELD clarified that under the Constitution, disqualification as a Member of Parliament (MP) is determined by the sentence for a single offence.
“If a person is charged with multiple offences and the sentence imposed for each of those offences does not reach the disqualification threshold of imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than S$10,000, the person is not disqualified from being an MP,” said the ELD.
“The respective sentences for separate offences cannot be added together for this purpose.”
Singh, who has filed an appeal against both his conviction and sentence, stated before the ELD’s announcement that he “intends to contest” in the next General Election, which must be called by November 23.
A three-term MP, Singh has been part of WP’s winning team in Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2011.
He took over the party’s leadership from Low Thia Khiang in 2018 and was appointed Leader of the Opposition after the 2020 General Election.
