ARGUMENTS OVER MS KHAN APPEARING RELIEVED ON OCT 3
Mr Ang, who is senior counsel, took Singh through a series of questions where he suggested to Singh that he was being dishonest in his answers.
He referred Singh to a meeting he had with Ms Khan on Oct 3, 2021 – a day before she repeated her lie in parliament.
Singh previously testified that he had told Ms Khan to take responsibility and ownership if the issue came up in parliament, meaning that she would have to tell the truth.
“This was followed by, ‘I would not judge you’? Correct?” Mr Ang asked in court, to which Singh agreed.
Singh also agreed that Ms Khan appeared relieved and to have understood what Singh said.
Mr Ang then referred Singh to an email he sent to WP MPs on Oct 1, 2021 where he spoke about the importance of substantiating what was said in parliament or risk being hauled before a COP.
Mr Ang pointed out that Ms Khan likely knew that she could be sent to the COP, and expressed disbelief that Ms Khan would appear relieved in such a context.
“The Oct 1 email was fresh in her mind,” said Mr Ang, and Singh agreed.
“You telling her to tell the truth, and tomorrow she comes clean … She knows that she is going to the COP, so she looks visibly relieved? ‘Thank god I’m going to the COP’?” exclaimed Mr Ang.
Singh disagreed, noting that Mr Ang left out what transpired after Singh had told Ms Khan to take ownership and responsibility.
“She looked uncomfortable, (and) in that context I told her ‘I would not judge you’. After I said that she looked a bit relieved. I took that to understand that she understood what I was saying,” Singh said.
Appearing incredulous, Mr Ang asked: “You would have us believe that you were basically telling her to admit to the untruth, expose herself to COP proceedings and she was visibly relieved? Is that your evidence?”
Singh said that was what Mr Ang was arguing.
Mr Ang then continued: “Isn’t it the truth, Mr Singh, that you told her ‘continue the narrative, I will not judge you’ and she was relieved because she knew then that she does not have to admit to a lie in parliament and she wasn’t being exposed, (or) sent to the COP. Isn’t that the truth?”
Singh denied this.
Asked by Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan to clarify what he meant by “I won’t judge you”, Singh said: “She has told a lie and one tends to form negative opinions about people who lie … (but) if (Ms Khan clears) the matter by telling the truth, I would not judge (her) for the lie.”
“You mean that you will not form a negative opinion of her?” Judge Tan asked. Singh agreed to this.
