SINGAPORE: The trial of Workers’ Party (WP) chief and Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh, will not proceed today (22 October) after the court was informed that his lead lawyer, Mr Andre Jumabhoy, is unwell.

After over an hour’s delay to the proceedings on 22 October, Singh’s other lawyer, Mr Aristotle Emmanuel Eng Zhen Yang, informed the court that Mr Jumabhoy had received a medical certificate declaring him unfit for court for two days.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan approved the defence’s application to stand down the trial until the afternoon of 23 October.

Mr Eng stated that he would provide an update to the court in the morning regarding Mr Jumabhoy’s condition and whether the proceedings could resume at 2.30pm.

Originally scheduled to begin at 11am on 22 October, the trial was delayed until approximately 12.20pm as lawyers from both sides consulted with the judge in chambers.

Mr Singh is facing two charges of lying to a parliamentary committee about his handling of former WP Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan’s 2021 admission that she had lied in Parliament regarding a false anecdote of sexual assault case.

Both the prosecution and defence had been awaiting the judge’s decision on an application made by Mr Jumabhoy the previous day.

This application sought to tender former WP cadre Yudhishthra Nathan’s unredacted messages from 4 to 12 October 2021, in court.

Mr Jumabhoy also requested the redacted versions of these messages between Mr Nathan, fellow WP cadre Loh Pei Ying, and Ms Raeesah Khan, along with the reasons Mr Nathan had provided to the Committee of Privileges (COP) for the redactions.

Mr Jumabhoy argued that this was a reasonable line of inquiry, as it directly pertains to the credibility of Mr Nathan and Ms Loh’s testimonies.

However, the prosecution objected, asserting that the COP’s findings and the redacted messages are not relevant to the criminal trial.

Deputy Attorney-General Ang Cheng Hock highlighted that Singh’s first charge relates to a meeting with Ms Khan on 8 August 2021, while the second charge concerns a subsequent meeting on 3 October 2021.

He pointed out that the redacted messages pertain to a time after these meetings.

Judge Tan stated on 21 October that part of the prosecution’s case relies on the meeting between Singh, Mr Nathan, and Ms Loh on 12 October, making the credibility of the two WP cadres a significant issue, as it “goes to whether their evidence is to be believed or not.”

The judge indicated that he would review the message logs alongside evidence from Mr Nathan before making a decision.

Ms Khan had, on 3 August 2021, recounted an account of accompanying a sexual assault victim to a police station, claiming the victim was treated insensitively.

She repeated this claim before the House on 4 October of the same year, before admitting to the falsehood on 1 November 2021.

For each charge, Mr Singh faces a maximum penalty of a S$7,000 fine, a jail term of up to three years, or both.

The defence is expected to conclude its cross-examination of Mr Nathan on 23 October.

Following the completion of the prosecution’s re-examination of Mr Nathan, it is anticipated that former WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang will be called as the next witness.

The trial, scheduled for 16 days in total, will see its first tranche conclude on Thursday. The second tranche, consisting of seven days, will begin on 5 November, with intermittent breaks throughout.

Lee Hsien Yang (LHY), the younger brother of Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (LHL), has been granted asylum in the UK after leaving Singapore.

He claims his departure was driven by what he describes as a campaign of political persecution by the Singaporean government under his brother’s administration.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, LHY accused the authorities of using legal actions and investigations to intimidate and repress him and his family.

LHY, son of Singapore’s late founding father Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), has become a controversial figure in Singaporean politics, particularly after a 2017 family dispute regarding the fate of LKY’s home.

This dispute centred around the fate of LKY’s home and became symbolic of deeper family tensions and allegations of abuse of power by LHL who is now Senior Minister.

In recent years, LHY has openly supported opposition parties in Singapore, breaking ranks with his family’s long-standing association with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

In the interview, LHY described Singapore as a repressive state that presents an outward image of prosperity and efficiency but maintains authoritarian controls over dissent.

“Despite the very advanced economic prosperity that Singapore has, there’s a dark side to it, that the government is repressive,” he said.

“What people think, that this is some kind of paradise – it isn’t.”

He cited a series of legal actions taken against him, his wife Lee Suet Fern (LSF), and their son as evidence of this repression.

LHY’s asylum application was accepted in August 2024, two years after he left Singapore.

He believes the asylum grant is a recognition of the dangers he faces if he were to return. “I think it is an acknowledgment that Singapore has been persecuting me,” said LHY.

“For my own personal safety, I should not continue to live in Singapore,” he stated.

He also expressed frustration with Singapore’s facade of rule of law and transparency, accusing the government of facilitating illicit financial activities such as arms trading and money laundering.

The Singaporean government, however, has denied these accusations.

A government spokesperson refuted Lee’s claims, stating that Singapore has a robust legal system designed to combat corruption and illicit financial flows.

The spokesperson pointed to Singapore’s strong performance in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, where the country ranks well above the UK.

“No one is above the law in Singapore, including the offspring of the founding prime minister,” the spokesperson added.

The family dispute that precipitated these events began after the death of LKY in 2015, when his children disagreed over the future of his house.

LKY had wished for his home to be demolished after his daughter, Lee Wei Ling (LWL), no longer lived there.

LHY and his sister supported this wish, but Lee Hsien Loong, then the Prime Minister, argued that their father had been open to government decisions regarding the house. This disagreement led to a series of legal and personal conflicts that have strained the family relationship, culminating in LHY’s decision to leave Singapore.

In 2017, LHY’s son, Li Shengwu, was fined for contempt of court over a Facebook post in which he criticised Singapore’s judiciary.

The government also launched disciplinary action against LSF, a prominent lawyer, accusing her of professional misconduct in relation to Lee Kuan Yew’s will. She was suspended from practising law for 15 months.

LHY and his wife are also under investigation for alleged perjury linked to the case, although the couple maintains that the charges are baseless.

LHY has been vocal in his criticism of his brother’s leadership.

In the interview with The Guardian, LHY implied that the legal actions against him and his family could not have occurred without the involvement of his brother, Lee Hsien Loong.

“In a tightly controlled country like Singapore, these kinds of actions could not have happened without the agreement and acquiescence of Lee Hsien Loong,” he said.

LHL has not commented publicly on this specific allegation.

He told the Guardian he believed the current allegations against him and his wife were politically motivated attempts to destroy him.

He also said he had been among the targets of Singapore’s “very extensive surveillance system”.

Despite the legal battles and personal strife, LHY remains hopeful about his future.

He continues to hold Singaporean citizenship and expressed his desire to return to his homeland if the political climate changes.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, he wrote, “I remain a Singapore citizen and hope that some day it will become safe to return home.”

Singapore’s political system has long been dominated by the Lee family, beginning with LKY, who served as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990.

His eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong, succeeded him as Prime Minister in 2004 and remained in office until May 2024.

Human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have often criticised Singapore for its repressive measures, noting the country’s strict control over political dissent and freedom of expression.

Based on UN records, LHY and LSF are two of only seven Singaporeans who have been granted refugee status in the UK.

The UN refugee records indicate that as of mid-2024, there were 40 refugees from Singapore globally, with an additional 322 seeking asylum.

As LHY’s case continues to attract international attention, it raises questions about the future of Singapore’s political landscape and the influence of the Lee family within it.

His claims of repression stand in stark contrast to Singapore’s global image as a model of good governance, further complicating the legacy of  LKY and his successors.