The Law Society of Singapore has started disciplinary proceedings against Pritam Singh, who is the chief of the Workers’ Party.
Based on the public hearing list, a case management conference between the Law Society and Mr Singh was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The session was set to take place in a chamber at the Supreme Court of Singapore.
The listing showed that the nature of the case is stated as: “Others (disciplinary proceedings for advocates and solicitors of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Singapore).”
Case management conference arranged
The Law Society was represented by lawyers from Drew & Napier. The legal team included the firm’s chief executive officer, Senior Counsel Cavinder Bull.
The hearing list also indicated that Mr Singh was representing himself in the proceedings.
A case management conference usually happens at an early stage of legal proceedings. It is conducted away from the public and the media. The purpose is mainly to organise the case and make sure the process runs smoothly. This can include identifying the issues involved and narrowing them down before the matter proceeds further.
How disciplinary proceedings usually work
In cases involving disciplinary issues for lawyers, the Law Society usually brings charges against the lawyer involved. After that, a disciplinary tribunal will review the case and decide whether the lawyer is guilty or not.
If the lawyer is found guilty, the matter will then go before the Court of Three Judges. This court decides what penalties should be imposed.
Possible sanctions can include:
- A financial fine
- Suspension from practice
- Being struck off the roll of lawyers
CNA confirmed that Mr. Singh named in the hearing list refers to the Workers’ Party chief.
At the same time, both the Law Society and Mr Singh were contacted for further information regarding the case.
The disciplinary proceedings come after Mr Singh lost his appeal against his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee. The case was linked to a statement made earlier by former Member of Parliament Raeesah Khan.
Mr Singh was convicted and sentenced to pay a total fine of S$14,000. The amount was set at S$7,000 for each charge.
The fine did not disqualify him from remaining a Member of Parliament because it did not meet the required threshold for disqualification.
Mr Singh paid the full fine on the same day his appeal was dismissed.
Following the dismissal of the appeal, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong removed Mr Singh from his position as Leader of the Opposition. The Workers’ Party was later asked to nominate a replacement but rejected the role.
A search carried out on Friday morning for Mr Singh’s name on the Ministry of Law website listing lawyers and law practices did not return any results.
