Pritam Singh apologises for comments on CNA interview, accepts they could be seen as contempt of court
SINGAPORE: Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh has apologised to the court over comments he made on CNA’s The Assembly programme after being informed that his statements were in contempt of court.
“I accept that my statements may be construed to be in contempt of court, including to impugn the integrity, propriety or impartiality of the court,” he said in a Facebook post on Saturday (Dec 13).
“Given that, I wholly and unreservedly apologise to the court and will avoid making comments to the same or similar effect in future.”
In the episode of The Assembly, a series which features interviews with newsmakers conducted by a group of neurodivergent individuals, Mr Singh responded to a question on how he felt about being called a liar.
The episode was recorded in July. It was aired on Nov 5, a day after the High Court heard Mr Singh’s appeal against his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee. The court dismissed his appeal on Dec 4.
Mr Singh, the Workers’ Party (WP) chief, noted on Saturday that he had also posted about the CNA interview on Facebook on Nov 6 and Nov 8.
Mediacorp, the parent company of CNA, has apologised and taken down the interview after being notified by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) that it was in contempt of court.
SINGH’S COMMENTS ARE “VERY WRONG”: MINLAW
The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) said on Saturday that Mr Singh’s comments during the interview with The Assembly are “very wrong” and “have no place in a system founded on the rule of law”.
“At the interview, he made comments suggesting, among other things, that: The prosecution against him by the Attorney-General’s Chambers and, by extension, his conviction by the Magistrate’s Court, were politically motivated, impugning the integrity of the court and legal system,” the ministry said.
It added that Mr Singh’s comments suggested that the court of public opinion, demonstrated by results at the general election, was more important than the court’s judgment.
Minister for Law Edwin Tong said on Nov 8 that Mr Singh’s comments “denigrate the court’s judgment and undermine public trust in our legal system and the judiciary”, which is “completely unacceptable”.
The AGC said it had put Mr Singh on notice on Nov 28 that his statements were in contempt of court and had invited him to apologise.
“Mr Singh has since duly apologised in writing for his comments made in his interview to The Assembly,” said MinLaw.
“Following the dismissal of his appeal, Mr Singh has also confirmed that he accepts the court’s judgment fully and without reservation,” it added.
“He also rightly acknowledged that it is unacceptable for politicians to question or impugn the integrity of the courts. We welcome these comments. The judiciary is a key pillar of Singapore’s success, and it is critical that public trust in our justice system is maintained.”
Source: CNA
