SINGAPORE - Leader of the Opposition and Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh was charged on March 19 with two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee, two years after the police opened investigations into his conduct before the Committee of Privileges.

The charges relate to his testimony before the committee, which had been convened in November 2021 to look into a lying controversy involving his party’s former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan.

The committee had called Singh as a witness and said later that he had not been truthful during the hearings while under oath.

It recommended referring him to the public prosecutor for further investigations with a view to consider criminal proceedings. Parliament endorsed the recommendation.

Here is a timeline of the key events so far, based on the testimonies of Ms Khan and other WP members before the Committee of Privileges.

Aug 3, 2021

In a speech in Parliament, Ms Khan says she had accompanied a rape victim three years earlier to a police station, where an officer made comments about the victim’s dressing and the fact that she had been drinking.

When pressed for more details by Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan, she declines to provide them.

Aug 7

Ms Khan admits to Singh that she had lied in Parliament on Aug 3. She also tells her secretarial assistant Loh Pei Ying and WP volunteer Yudhishthra Nathan about the untruth and describes it as one of the worst things she had done in her life.

Aug 8

Ms Khan confesses to all three senior WP leaders – Singh, party chairman Sylvia Lim and party vice-chairman Faisal Manap – that she had lied in Parliament on Aug 3. She is told to “retain the narrative that she began in August” and specifically by Singh, to “take the information to the grave”.

Aug 10

Singh meets Ms Loh and Mr Nathan on a separate matter. He confirms that he is aware of Ms Khan’s Aug 3 lie.

Aug 8 to Oct 3

There is no further discussion between any of the three senior leaders – either among themselves or with Ms Khan – about how and when to clarify the truth.

Oct 3

Singh and his wife visited Ms Khan at her home. He told Ms Khan the matter may arise in Parliament the next day and that if she were to retain or continue with the narrative – the lie she had told – “there would be no judgment” from him.

Oct 4

Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam presses Ms Khan in Parliament for details of the incident. When this happens, she texts Singh to seek guidance on what she should do, but he does not answer her immediately.

She repeats her lie and again declines to reveal any further details, citing confidentiality concerns.

Later that afternoon, Ms Lim meets Ms Khan at about 3pm. She tells Ms Khan to seek legal advice on any potential request by the police for assistance.

Singh and Ms Lim meet Ms Khan later at 11.15pm. Ms Khan suggests: “Perhaps there is another way. That is, to tell the truth.” Neither Singh nor Ms Lim tells her to tell the truth.

Oct 7

Ms Khan forwards a police request to interview her to the three senior WP leaders. In the e-mail, she thanks them for “guiding me through this without judgment”.

Oct 12

By this date, Singh and Ms Lim have concluded that the matter is not going to go away. At a meeting with Ms Khan, they tell her directly – for the first time – to clarify the truth in Parliament.

After the meeting, Ms Khan tells Ms Loh and Mr Nathan that she has decided to clarify the truth, in accordance with Singh and Ms Lim’s latest guidance.

Ms Loh requests to meet Singh to discuss what Ms Khan should say in Parliament, and how she should convey the truth. Ms Loh and Mr Nathan meet Singh later that day.

At the meeting, Singh recounts that he told Ms Khan on Oct 3 that he had a feeling her Aug 3 statement might come up in Parliament again and he had said “I will not judge you”.

Ms Loh and Mr Nathan understand from Singh that he has left it to Ms Khan, and she could continue with the lie.

Thereafter, Ms Khan works with Singh, Ms Lim, Ms Loh and Mr Nathan to prepare her clarification for Parliament. Her draft clarification is also reviewed by the WP central executive committee.

Oct 20

The police say in a statement that Ms Khan has not responded to their requests for an interview and that they have not been able to identify the case she mentioned despite an extensive search.

Nov 1

Ms Khan clarifies in Parliament that she had lied on Aug 3 and Oct 4. She says she had been sexually assaulted herself and had heard about the victim’s experience at a support group session she attended.

Leader of the House Indranee Rajah refers her to the Committee of Privileges.

Singh issues a statement on the same day, noting that Ms Khan’s decision to set the record straight in Parliament is the correct thing to do.

He does not mention the three leaders’ involvement in or knowledge of the matter to date.

Nov 2

The WP forms a disciplinary panel – comprising Singh, Ms Lim and Mr Faisal – to look into the matter. Party members are invited to come forward to share their views.

Nov 29

The Committee of Privileges meets for the first time.

Nov 30

Ms Khan resigns from the WP and as an MP.

Dec 2

The WP holds a press conference, and Singh discloses that party leaders knew about Ms Khan’s lie a week after she said it in Parliament.

He says the party had given her time to clarify the matter in Parliament as they sympathised with her and wanted to let her talk to her family about it.

Dec 2 and 3

Ms Khan and three other WP members – Ms Loh, legislative assistant Lim Hang Ling and Mr Nathan – appear before the Committee of Privileges.

The committee releases its first special report on the case. It contains Ms Khan’s testimony that the three WP leaders had told her there was no need to clarify the lie, if she and the WP could get away with it.

This is corroborated by Ms Loh’s and Mr Nathan’s testimonies that Ms Khan had told them the party leaders had asked her to “take the information to the grave”.

Dec 9

Mr Faisal appears before the committee.

Dec 10

Singh appears before the committee.

Dec 11

The committee releases its second special report.

Mr Faisal tells the committee that he had two meetings with Singh and Ms Lim before the hearing but refuses to give details about what was discussed, when asked. He is told by the committee that it could constitute contempt of Parliament.

Dec 12

The committee releases its third special report.

Singh denies asking Ms Khan to take the lie “to the grave” and suggests that Ms Khan could have told Ms Loh and Mr Nathan that due to her mental state.

Dec 13

Ms Lim appears before the committee, as does Sengkang GRC MP Jamus Lim.

Dec 14

The committee releases its fourth report.

Ms Lim says she and Singh met Ms Khan on Oct 4. She adds that she did not think it was possible for Ms Khan to clarify the truth as the party would need time to craft the clarification for her.

Dec 15

Singh is called back before the committee to submit further evidence.

He maintains that he had expected Ms Khan to clarify the matter in Parliament and had not asked her to lie.

Dec 17 and 20

Ms Khan undergoes a psychiatric assessment with Dr Christopher Cheok, acting chief of the department of forensic psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health and a psychiatrist by training.

Dec 22

Ms Khan is called back before the committee. Dr Cheok also testifies.

Feb 10, 2022

The Committee of Privileges releases its 1,180-page report to Parliament.

Feb 15

Parliament debates the motion on the report. A total of 10 MPs speak, including three from WP and two Nominated MPs.

In his speech during the debate, Singh says the committee did not appear to want to get to the bottom of why Ms Khan lied in Parliament, and that what it had instead focused on was Ms Khan’s “uncorroborated testimony” that she had been instructed to take her lie to the grave by the WP leadership.

Singh calls this a fabrication and says he intends to clear his name.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urges MPs from both sides of the aisle to vote with their conscience.

After four hours, the House votes to fine Ms Khan $35,000 and to refer Singh and Mr Faisal to the public prosecutor for further investigations into their conduct at the committee’s hearings.

April 29

The police issue a statement, saying they have gone through the evidence provided by Parliament on the conduct of Singh and Mr Faisal and would now get in touch with people relevant to the case.

Feb 7, 2023

In response to a parliamentary question, Mr Shanmugam says the police are still in the process of investigating the conduct of Singh and Mr Faisal.

March 19, 2024

Singh is charged with two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers says it decided not to charge Mr Faisal after having considered the totality of the evidence.

Instead, the police issued an advisory to Mr Faisal on March 18 that he should familiarise himself with the conduct expected of MPs and refrain from breaching the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act.

The AGC says Mr Faisal has acknowledged the advisory.