SINGAPORE: A joint bank account used by Workers' Party (WP) leaders to raise public funds for lawsuits filed against them by two town councils has been closed, with the remaining balance donated to charity.

The account, opened in 2018, was no longer needed following the conclusion of the long-running court cases involving Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) and Sengkang Town Council (SKTC) last July, wrote WP chief Pritam Singh, party chairman Sylvia Lim, and former party leader Low Thia Khiang in a blog post on Thursday (Oct 2).

A total of S$5,826.14 (US$4,519) was donated from the account to the WP Community Fund, a registered charity serving needy families, with the remaining S$5 used to cover the cashier’s order for the donation. 

"The bank account is now closed," they wrote.

"The court proceedings have taken seven years to conclude. We thank everyone who has, in one way or another, walked with us through this episode."

The WP leaders, together with five other defendants, had been accused by AHTC and SKTC of allegedly misusing town council funds.

But in July 2024, the case was settled after mediation, with the town councils dropping their claims and all sides bearing their own legal costs.

In a separate blog post on Thursday, the WP leaders wrote that they had donated S$26,958.52 to AHTC and S$30,768.51 to SKTC. 

"Since the lawsuits started in 2017, the legal costs and disbursements payable to our lawyers totalled more than S$3.1 million," they added.

"The proceedings took seven years, from 2017 to 2024. We wish to acknowledge and thank members of the public, friends and acquaintances for their contributions towards our legal expenses when we needed it.