Pritam Singh faces Law Society disciplinary hearing on Aug 13

Pritam Singh faces Law Society disciplinary hearing on Aug 13

The Court of Three Judges will hear a disciplinary case against Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh on Aug 13 at 10am. The proceedings, titled The Law Society of Singapore v Pritam Singh, seek to determine what sanctions, if any, should be imposed on Singh in his capacity as a lawyer.

The hearing is presided over by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, alongside Justice Kannan Ramesh and Justice See Kee Oon. As the highest disciplinary body for lawyers, the court has the authority under Section 98 of the Legal Profession Act to issue several penalties. These include striking a solicitor off the roll, suspending them from practice for up to five years, issuing a censure, or imposing a fine of up to S$100,000. The court may also apply a combination of these sanctions.

The legal action follows a February 2025 district court conviction where Singh was found guilty on two counts of giving false evidence under oath to the Committee of Privileges. That committee had been investigating a false claim made in parliament by former Workers’ Party MP Raeesah Khan regarding a sexual assault case she alleged was mishandled by police in 2021. Singh was fined S$14,000 in total for the charges.

Singh later challenged the conviction, but lost his appeal to the High Court in December 2025 and paid the fine. Following the conviction, the Law Society initiated disciplinary proceedings on March 4. A spokesperson for the Law Society told The Straits Times on March 13 that the move was required by law. Under Section 94A of the Legal Profession Act, the Law Society must apply for disciplinary action when a regulated legal practitioner is convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty. The spokesperson noted that this action was based on information from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

The legal fallout coincided with a significant shift in Singh's political role. On Jan 14, Parliament passed a motion deeming him unfit to continue as Leader of the Opposition. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong formally removed him from that position on Jan 15. Consequently, Singh was reassigned to a new seat in Parliament and no longer sits directly opposite the Prime Minister.

Internally, the Workers’ Party also addressed the conviction. The party's central executive committee met on Jan 2 to discuss the matter, leading to the creation of a disciplinary panel. This panel included Jamus Lim and He Ting Ru, both MPs for Sengkang GRC, and Png Eng Huat, a former Hougang MP, to determine if Singh had contravened the party's constitution.

By April 30, the Workers’ Party announced that its central executive committee had issued a formal letter of reprimand to Singh for contravening two articles of the party’s Constitution. Despite this and a push by a group of disgruntled cadres to unseat him, Singh secured votes from a super-majority during internal party elections.

For the upcoming Aug 13 hearing, the Law Society is represented by a team from Drew & Napier led by Senior Counsel Cavinder Bull. Singh is represented by Ms Elaine Low and Mr Peter Low of Peter Low Chambers.