Key points as defence wraps up cross-examination of former MP

The defence completed its cross-examination of former Workers' Party (WP) MP Raeesah Khan on Oct 16, having sought to put into doubt the credibility of the prosecution's key witness.

- Wong Pei Ting

Ms Khan, the first witness in the trial of WP chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, was grilled on what the defence said were multiple inconsistencies in her testimony.

Singh is contesting two charges over his alleged lies to a parliamentary committee convened in 2021 to investigate Ms Khan's untruth in Parliament.

Ms Khan had, on Aug 3, 2021, told Parliament about how she had accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station, where the victim was treated insensitively. She repeated the claim before the House on Oct 4 the same year, before admitting to her lie on Nov 1, 2021.

Here are five key points that came up on Oct 16:

'YOU DIDN'T NEED A DIRECTIVE TO LIE'

Defence lawyer Andre Jumabhoy pointed to Ms Khan's statement on Dec 22, 2021, to the Committee of Privileges, where she said Singh did not give her a "directive" to clarify the untruth.

The lawyer noted that she was 27 years old at that time and "not a teenager" when she was expecting this directive, and that she did not seem to need a directive to lie to Parliament. Yet, she needed a directive to tell the truth, he added.

Ms Khan said it was because she wanted Singh's advice, given that she had made a mistake, as her party leaders were far more experienced in politics than she was.

"Naturally when I've done something wrong, I've gone to my leaders and I've asked them what I should do because I'm terrified that I've made this mistake," she added.

Mr Jumabhoy put it to her that the WP's leaders never told her in a meeting days after her untruth to Parliament on Aug 3, 2021, that they should take the lie to the grave. Ms Khan disagreed.

The lawyer also said Ms Khan had stuck to her lie in Parliament on Oct 4 as she was frightened that telling the truth would expose her as a liar.