PUBLISHED ONJuly 07, 2026 5:16 AMBYLim KeweiParliament will not take further action against Workers' Party leaders Sylvia Lim and Faisal Manap for their conduct in 2021 when dealing with a lie told by former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan.
Under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act (PPIPA), Singapore's 15th Parliament does not have the power to punish offences committed before the second session of the 14th Parliament commenced on April 10, 2023, said Leader of the House Indranee Rajah in Parliament on Tuesday (July 7).
She was delivering a ministerial statement on the findings from Parliament's Committee of Privileges (COP), which determined that WP chief Pritam Singh, as well as Lim and Faisal, had lied to the Committee during its probe into Khan's case in 2021.
In 2022, Parliament accepted the COP's recommendation to defer decision on what parliamentary sanction, if any, should be imposed on Lim and Faisal for their conduct.
Parliament had rightly waited until the court process had concluded before considering Lim's and Faisal's cases, she said.
Indranee added on Tuesday that anyone who knowingly or intentionally gave untrue evidence to a COP would ordinarily be dealt with under the PPIPA.
"However, there are certain timelines within which such action must take place," she said.
Singh was found guilty of lying under oath to the COP and fined $14,000 in February 2025. His appeal against his conviction was dismissed in December, after the General Election 2025 had already taken place and the 15th session Parliament had begun.
[[nid:726225]]
"As the conduct in question took place during the 1st session of the 14th Parliament, it is no longer open to this 15th Parliament to impose any penalties in respect of this conduct under the PPIPA," said Indranee.
Parliament could pass a motion to express regret at the WP leaders' conduct, she added, but noted that an earlier motion filed over Singh's case this January had already signalled its disapproval.
She concluded: "Given the very specific circumstances of this case, it is my view that no further action need be taken by this House in relation to the Committee's finding regarding Ms Lim and Mr Faisal.
"Had the timelines been different, I would have proposed a different course of action.
"Even though the Committee's findings have now been effectively confirmed by the High Court Judgement, the law, in this case the time bar provisions of PPIPA, must be observed."
Lim is currently the MP for Aljunied GRC, while Faisal lost his parliamentary seat after contesting Tampines GRC in the 2025 General Election.
No objections were raised to the ministerial statement.
[[nid:739735]]
lim.kewei@asiaone.com