In an indication that he may have lost the case, the ruling party PAP-hired top dog Davinder Singh dismissed two witnesses without any questioning for them at the closing of the court trial yesterday (Oct 30). Six witnesses from the town council was summoned to take the stands, but Davinder Singh surprised everyone in court when he said he has no questions. Four other witnesses made their statements briefly, each taking less than 10 minutes at the stand.
At the 12 days-long trial costing S$2 million in legal fees, senior Counsel Davinder Singh, a former PAP MP, has failed to prove that the S$33 million payment made to managing agent FMSS were wrongfully made. While he tried to force his argument that work has not been done and that the S$33 million was given as “benefits to a crony of the WP MPs”, the affidavits and statements presented by witnesses from both sides did not correspond with his offensive charges. Davinder Singh’s own prosecution witnesses, KPMG and PwC, even admitted that the term “improper” is used as a description relating to the government’s newly-enacted Town Council Financial Regulations, and has nothing to do with whether if work has been done or if there has been any overcharging.
KPMG and PwC’s reputation took a bruising at the court trial, after they admitted to have furnished their audit report with personal opinions alleging “double-charging”. The two multinational companies’ trustworthiness took a dive further when States Times Review revealed that the two were also fined tens of millions in other law suits in the UK for publishing misleading audit reports.
Having failed to prove the WP MP or their alleged “cronies” profiting from the S$33 million in town council payments, Davinder Singh bade his time wasting hours of court time trying to prove that the inexperienced WP MPs were guilty of deliberate negligence. Davinder Singh was even told off by the judge after he repeated the same question four times, in an attempt to intimidate WP MP Sylvia Lim hoping that she buckle in court. The PAP henchman however got away with shouting in court, unstopped by the preceding judge.
Davinder Singh is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s personal lawyer for defamation lawsuits. The S$33 million lawsuit was lodged by a faceless and anonymous “independent committee”, and legal fees – amounting to an estimated S$2 million for Singapore’s top law firm Drew and Napier and the enlistment of a senior counsel – are paid for using residents’ town council funding.