Singapore's opposition leader Pritam Singh has lost his appeal against a guilty verdict of lying to a parliamentary committee.
In February, Singh was fined S$14,000 ($10,800; £8,100) for two charges related to his handling of Raeesah Khan, a former lawmaker from his party who confessed to lying to parliament.
In a short hearing to a packed court public gallery on Friday, the judge said Singh's conviction was supported by the evidence provided.
Singh, who leads the main opposition Workers' Party, said that he was disappointed with the decision but accepted it fully and without reservation.
He paid his fines at the courthouse after the hearing on Friday. Might as well get it done, he told reporters.
Singh retains his seat in parliament despite the conviction, and said on Friday that he would keep serving Singaporeans along with his colleagues.
The Workers' Party is the only opposition party in Singapore's current parliament, holding 12 of the 99 seats.
What to know about the case
The saga began in 2021, when Khan claimed in parliament that she had witnessed the police misbehave towards a sexual assault victim.
She later admitted that her anecdote was false but stated during a parliamentary committee investigation that the party's leaders, including Singh, had urged her to continue with the narrative despite knowing about the lie.
Khan has since resigned from the party and parliament and was fined S$35,000 for lying and abusing her parliamentary privilege.
In February, the court ruled that Singh's actions were strongly indicative that he did not want Khan to clarify her lie.
Despite maintaining his innocence throughout the trial, Singh argued that he had wished to give Khan time to deal with what was a sensitive issue.
During Singh's appeal hearing, his lawyer argued that the court had ignored crucial pieces of evidence in its ruling, and also questioned the credibility of Khan and her aides, who served as witnesses.
When the judge asked why Singh seemed to be doing nothing to get Khan to own up weeks after learning about her lie, his lawyer attributed this to other urgent matters he had to deal with.
However, the prosecution argued that Singh's inaction, along with other evidence, proved he had never intended for Khan to come clean.
Singh's case is notable as one of the only criminal convictions against a sitting opposition lawmaker in Singapore, raising concerns among critics about the government's potential use of the judiciary against political opponents—claims that the authorities have consistently denied.
