Was there a miscarriage of justice in the case of Tangaraju Suppiah?

Teo Soh Lung discusses the case of Tangaraju, who was executed despite concerns over the evidence presented against him. She highlights the missing call records, the prosecution’s failure to call crucial witnesses, and the reliance on accomplices’ testimonies. Tangaraju’s case raises questions about the fairness of the trial and the potential for wrongful convictions, prompting Teo to argue for the abolition of the death penalty.

Three Chinese nationals caught for using glue to steal chips at MBS Casino

Three Chinese nationals were caught using superglue on their palms to steal S$1,575 worth of chips from patrons at Marina Bay Sands Casino in Singapore. The trio used this tactic for six days before being apprehended. Mastermind Huang Chunsheng and accomplices Zheng Jiansheng and Jiang Renjing have since pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal.

Elderly COVID-19 patient dies from anaphylaxis, allegedly caused by Lianhua Qingwen

SINGAPORE — A 61-year-old elderly COVID-19 patient reportedly suffered from a life-threatening…

US writer testifies that Trump raped her

E. Jean Carroll testified in a defamation and battery lawsuit against Donald Trump, alleging he sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s and then defamed her when she went public with the allegations years later. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged. This is one in a series of legal challenges facing the former president.

Ousted ex-Zilingo’s CEO sues investor US$100m for defamation

Ankiti Bose, the former co-founder and CEO of Zilingo, has filed a defamation lawsuit against angel investor Mahesh Murthy for $100m. Bose accused Murthy of falsely accusing her of taking money illegally out of her startup and causing damage to her name, reputation and image through an article in the Outlook Business magazine. Although Murthy did not name Bose in the article, Bose has claimed that the description in the article was far too specific about her and couldn’t have meant anyone else. Murthy is the co-founder of early-stage venture capital company Seedfund, which was one of the first investors in Zilingo.

MHA responds to Branson’s call to halt Tangaraju’s execution, accusing him for “disrespect” for Singapore’s judges

On Monday (24 Apr), British tycoon Richard Branson urged Singapore to halt the imminent execution of Tangaraju Suppiah, a Singaporean who sentenced to death over one kilogram of cannabis, saying it “may be about to kill an innocent man”. “Tangaraju was actually not anywhere near these drugs at the time of his arrest. This was largely a circumstantial case that relied on inferences,” Branson, who is a member of the Geneva-based Global Commission on Drug Policy, wrote on his blog. “Killing those at the lowest rungs of the illicit drug supply chain… is hardly effective in curbing an international trade worth hundreds of billions every year,” he said, adding he hoped authorities would review the case. Tangaraju, aged 46, is set to be hanged on Wednesday (26 Apr), according to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) of Singapore. However, Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) defended that the evidence clearly showed that Tangaraju was “coordinating the delivery of drugs for trafficking”, despite the suggestion that he was innocent because he was “not anywhere near the drugs at the time of his arrest”.

Human rights lawyer M Ravi urges Singaporeans to speak out against Tangaraju Suppiah’s execution

Human rights lawyer M Ravi has called on Singaporeans to speak out against the impending execution of Tangaraju Suppiah, a Singaporean convicted and sentenced to death in 2018 for abetting by conspiracy to traffic 1,017.9g of cannabis. In a Facebook live video, Ravi highlighted several troubling aspects of Tangaraju’s case, including his lack of access to an interpreter and legal counsel during his trial. Ravi also pointed out that Tangaraju did not have access to counsel when his statements were taken, and he suggested that Tangaraju’s case was indicative of broader issues within Singapore’s legal system. Ravi called on Singaporean society to speak out against the execution and argued that it was incumbent on all citizens to stand together to end the practice of the death penalty. He further stressed that the execution would not bring any closure and would be meaningless as the death penalty does not deter drug trafficking. Ravi called on Singaporeans to write to their MPs or the ministers, even the Prime Minister, to stop the execution. Tangaraju’s execution is scheduled to take place on 26 April.

Founder of Healing the Divide files judicial review against Attorney General Chambers

Founder of Healing the Divide, Iris Koh files Judicial Review against Attorney General Chambers (AGC) for intervening in her Magistrate Complaint appeal against Police Officers who mishandled her evidence. Ms Koh had expressed her concern that fraudulent evidence could have been planted in her electronic device. After the acceptance of the appeal by the Court, the AGC informed her that they would discontinue her appeal. Ms Koh wrote on a fundraising page, “It’s about something much bigger: the rule of law, and the idea that no individual or authority should be above it.”

Macron signs France pension reform into law despite protests

French President Emmanuel Macron has signed his controversial pension reform into law, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of protests and opposition from unions. The alterations became law after being approved by the Constitutional Council. Unions have called for mass protests on 1 May, and some violent demonstrations have already occurred. The battle over the legislation has been Macron’s biggest domestic challenge, leading to low approval ratings and widespread opposition to the changes.

19-yr-old Malaysian youth pleaded guilty for act of beating and burning stray dog at Johor

A 19-year-old Malaysian Chinese youth, Braden Yap Hong Sheng, has pleaded guilty to committing cruelty to a dog after abusing and setting fire to a stray dog last month. Yap was charged with animal cruelty for causing undue pain to a brown female dog and could face a minimum fine of RM 25,000 and a maximum of RM 100,000 or imprisonment for up to three years or both if convicted. CCTV footage showed Yap repeatedly hitting the dog with a metal rod, throwing a brick at it, and setting it on fire, causing it to run away with its tail ablaze. Yap issued an apology through a 45-second video on his Facebook post after the video went viral, but many netizens questioned the sincerity behind his apology.