AGC issues warning letters to Pritam Singh, Mediacorp for contempt of court over interview comments
Both the Leader of the Opposition and Mediacorp had published an apology on Dec 13.
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SINGAPORE: The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) on Friday (Dec 19) issued warning letters to Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh and Mediacorp for contempt of court over comments he made in a CNA interview.
“Having considered all the circumstances of the case, including the apologies, the Attorney-General has decided to issue Mr Singh and Mediacorp with warnings,” AGC said in a statement.
It noted that both the Workers’ Party chief and Mediacorp had published an apology on Dec 13.
Mediacorp, the parent company of CNA, had also taken down the interview from its platforms on Dec 12.
Mr Singh made the comments on CNA's programme The Assembly, where he responded to a question on how he felt about being called a liar.
The episode was recorded in July. It aired on Nov 5, a day after the High Court heard Mr Singh’s appeal against his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee, with judgment reserved.
Mr Singh also posted about the Interview on Facebook on Nov 6 and Nov 8.
The court dismissed his appeal on Dec 4.
The AGC had written to Mr Singh and Mediacorp on Nov 28, informing them that the statements and publication of the interview are in contempt of court.
Mediacorp subsequently apologised to the court, saying: "We accept that the publication of the interview, which contained the statements by Mr Singh regarding the case relating to Ms Raeesah Khan, is in contempt of court.
“We wholly and unreservedly apologise to the court. We have taken down the interview from our platforms and channels and will avoid publishing matters that are in contempt of court in future."
In a Facebook post on Dec 13, Mr Singh said: "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.
"Given that, I wholly and unreservedly apologise to the court and will avoid making comments to the same or similar effect in future."
The Ministry of Law said on Dec 13 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".
“Contempt of court impedes the proper administration of justice in Singapore,” the AGC added on Friday.
“Left unchecked, such conduct can erode respect for our judicial institutions and their decisions. AGC takes a serious view of any conduct that amounts to contempt of court and will not hesitate to take firm action against those who engage in such conduct.”
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