Pritam Singh unlikely to lose seat in Parliament due to criminal charges: Experts

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh was charged in court on March 19 with two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee.

As the Constitution states that an MP convicted of “an offence... and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than $10,000” faces disqualification from Parliament, some have wondered if a conviction would mean that Singh will lose his Aljunied seat. It will be for the court to decide whether Singh is guilty of the charges, and if so what the appropriate punishment should be, the AGC stressed.

The point of the $10,000 threshold is to indicate the seriousness of an offence for a person to be deemed unfit as an MP, and thus, it would not make sense if cumulative offences with lower fines can trigger disqualification, he said. However, SMU Assistant Professor of Law Benjamin Joshua Ong said Singh could still face jail time if the courts decide that is appropriate, since they are not bound by the prosecution’s arguments and can decide on a higher or lower sentence.

As he is WP’s leader, any possible fallout for Singh is also something that the party will have to shoulder as they go into electoral battle, he noted.

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