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”.

NUS dentistry student who physically assaulted ex-girlfriend allegedly bonded to a government dental clinic

An undergraduate who strangled an ex-girlfriend and injured her left eye from excessive force is allegedly in a contract with a government dental clinic. According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao on 19 July, the National University of Singapore (NUS) dentistry student, Yin Zi Qin, is bound by an agreement with a “government dental clinic”. … Read more

Legal policy of factoring educational background into sentencing to be reviewed: Shanmugam

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be reviewing the consideration of educational background in sentencing for certain criminal cases.  Home affairs and law minister K Shanmugam said in a media conference over Zoom on Tuesday (21 Jul) that this issue is a matter of “legal policy framework” and not the fault of the courts … Read more