President Tharman grants rare clemency to death row inmate in drug trafficking case

Independent Singapore

14 hours ago

SINGAPORE: A prisoner on death row, Tristan Tan Yi Rui, has been granted clemency by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Tan will instead be serving life imprisonment.
Reporting on the matter, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) pointed out the rarity of the pardon, adding that it is believed to be the first time since 1998 that Singapore has commuted a sentence of capital punishment.
The 33-year-old Tan had been given the death sentence in 2023 after he was convicted of possessing not less than 337.6 grams of methamphetamine for trafficking.
SCMP's This Week in Asia published part of a letter dated Aug 14 from the principal private secretary to President Tharman, which read: 'I am directed to refer to the petitions for clemency of Tristan Tan Yi Rui and to inform you that the President, on the advice of the Cabinet, has commuted the death sentence passed on Tristan Tan Yi Rui and ordered that he be imprisoned for life, which sentence of life imprisonment is to commence from 27 September 2018.' See also First death sentence via Zoom in Singapore
The Court of Appeal had upheld Tan's conviction and capital sentence, and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told CNA that the Cabinet was advised that the sentence was legally sound. The ministry added, however, that due to the specific facts and circumstances of the case, a recommendation had been made to grant Tan clemency.
Along with several others, Tan was arrested as part of an operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) involving a man known as Hakam, whom the authorities suspected of being involved in drug activities. On the evening of September 27, 2018, Tan drove with another man, Hanis, to an area where they met Hakam, who later rode in Tan's vehicle. Later still, they were met by two riders on motorbikes with Malaysian licence plates, and one of the riders spoke with Hakam.
On the same night, police officers from the CNB accosted and arrested Tan and Hanis while the two were still in Tan's car. The officers found a bag with at least 499g of a crystalline substance. When analysed, it was discovered that the substance contained no less than 337.6g of methamphetamine. See also Morning brief: Wuhan coronavirus update for Feb 2, 2020
According to the prosecutors on the case, Tan was aware of the methamphetamine in his possession and that he planned on trafficking it, based on evidence they obtained on mobile phones that were said to belong to him.
The defence claimed, however, that Tan had only acted as a driver that night and was unaware of the drugs in the car and the intent to sell them. On his part, Tan explained that he used drugs regularly and that he was at times given drugs for free when he did favours for another man named Hari, including driving for Hari's friends.
According to the MHA, another of the people arrested in the operation was tried separately for a capital charge and eventually received a non-capital sentence.
'The Cabinet decided to advise the grant of clemency to Tan to reduce the disparity in their respective outcomes,' CNA quoted the ministry as saying. /TISG
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