Chad's former PM and opposition leader sentenced to 20 years
N'DJAMENA - Chad's former Prime Minister and opposition leader Succes Masra has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of disseminating racist and xenophobic messages that incited violence, his lawyer told Reuters on Saturday.
Masra is a staunch opponent of President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who nonetheless served as prime minister in Deby's interim government for about five months before running against him in a May 2024 election.
Chad's prosecutor launched an investigation against him in May in relation to a clash in which dozens were killed in the southern town of Mandakao that month.
In addition to 20 years in prison, Masra was ordered to pay a fine of 1 billion CFA francs ($1.8 million), said Kadjilembaye Francis, one of his lawyers.
The lawyer said his team planned to appeal. REUTERS
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – Winning a large sum of money at a casino may seem like a dream come true, but few anticipate the challenges and stress involved in bringing that money back home if the win happens overseas. Ms Sherylynn Kok, 28, experienced this first-hand in A pril , after winning RM800,000 ($244,000) at a slot machine in a Genting Highlands casino. She, her boyfriend and her parents were on a weekend getaway at the hill resort. On that fateful Friday afternoon, they began playing at the jackpot machines. Ms Kok was initially on a losing streak. 'I kept changing slot machines and finally sat down at a random one,' recalls the owner of a frozen food supply company and social media agency. Five minutes in, she triggered a feature game offering four jackpot tiers: mini, minor, major and grand, each with rising prize values and shrinking odds. She pressed the button. The columns began aligning on the payline. Three of the grand prize symbols appeared on the screen, along with a small message at the bottom of the screen: She had won the grand prize of RM800,000. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 280 vapes seized, more than 640 people checked by police, HSA in anti-vape raids at nightspots Singapore SPLRT disruption: 28km of cables to be tested during off-service hours; works to end by Aug 23 Singapore First-half GDP boost likely temporary; Republic must stay relevant amid challenges: Chan Chun Sing Life Six-figure sales each durian season: Why S'pore durian sellers are now live selling on TikTok Singapore Airport-bound public bus to be fitted with luggage rack in 3-month trial: LTA Asia Australian universities slash staff, courses as rising wages and foreign student curbs bite Life Meet the tutors who take O-level exams every year to create a 'war mate' bond with their students Life Pivot or perish: How Singapore restaurants are giving diners what they want Shortly after, a group of security guards, along with a few casino staff, approached Ms Kok and her boyfriend and checked the machine. After verifying that it was a legitimate win, she was asked to head to the cashier to collect her winnings. Stacks of RM10,000 notes , separated into eight bundles of RM100,000, filled up a backpack that was 'crazy heavy', she said. As she had never carried such a huge sum before, she requested security guards to escort her back to her hotel room. 'They said walking around the casino was fine, but the moment we exited the casino, they cannot guarantee anything won't happen.' That night, the group took turns to guard the backpack. It was the weekend, so they could not remit the money back to Singapore and all the banks were closed. The group also learnt that transfers needed to be made using a Malaysian bank account, which none of them had. When they reached the airport to get on their return flight to Singapore, they found out that carrying such a large amount of cash out of the country required approval from Malaysia's national bank. Ms Kok's parents returned to Singapore first, while she and her boyfriend figured out their next steps. The next day, she managed to open a Malaysian bank account with OCBC, which offered dual-currency access, with the flexibility to switch between ringgit and Singapore dollar . Ms Kok claims she is disciplined when gambling, setting a firm limit on how much she is willing to lose before she starts. 'I gamble not because I want to earn money, but because once in a while, there is nothing to do, and I have no plans over the weekends.' When told of her win, some friends advised her to invest her money or treat herself to some luxury shopping or a holiday. 'I am very risk-averse, and I don't understand complex investment options, so keeping the money in a simple bank account seems safer,' says Ms Kok. She has heard stories of others who came into large sums of money, only to spend it in a matter of months. A friend of a friend won $1.4 million from Toto. The woman impulsively invested in various businesses, spent lavishly, and ultimately used up all the money in less than a year. Ms Kok refers to herself as 'low-maintenance' and is not drawn to conspicuous spending and luxury items. To her, this windfall is a gift of time – a chance to slow down in her career and not hustle as hard. But she does not see it as a ticket to early retirement. 'I keep trying to steer myself away from the thinking that I am rich or like I have money. I don't think $200,000 will last you a lifetime.'
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox After the definition of family violence was updated in 2025 to include abuses beyond physical harm, social workers and lawyers are seeing more victims seeking help. Care Corner Project StART, a family violence specialist centre run by Care Corner Singapore, said the expanded definition of family violence has encouraged more victims to come forward. SINGAPORE – It started with degrading insults and being mocked for coming from a broken family. Soon, Madam Anna (not her real name) got assaulted by her then boyfriend. The abuse continued after marriage and she had two children. Madam Anna, who is in her 30s, told The Sunday Times in July: '(My husband) said I didn't have a life of my own. He said by giving me children, he gave me a good life... He said these things until I hated myself.' After two years of marriage, she applied for a personal protection order (PPO) in 2025. 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'Now, I just want to confidently live my life as a single mother,' she said. PPOs are given by the court to victims to restrain their abusers from harming them further. Those who breach the orders can be fined up to $10,000 or be jailed for up to 12 months, or both. Data from the Family Justice Courts (FJC) shows there were 2,099 and 2,255 PPO applications in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Annually, about 75 per cent are filed by women. A Singapore Courts spokeswoman said 62 per cent to 64 per cent of PPO applications in those years were filed against spouses. A breakdown of the applications according to abuse type is not available, as each case usually includes multiple types of abuse. But social workers and lawyers said they are seeing more victims seeking help for non-physical abuse. Atmosphere of fear Care Corner Project StART (CCPS), a family violence specialist centre run by Care Corner Singapore, said the expanded definition of family violence has encouraged more victims to come forward. Care Corner Singapore's deputy director of family and community services, Mr Martin Chok, said: 'Some clients said their spouses would slam doors aggressively, maintain prolonged silent treatment, use intimidating stares, or constantly blame them for everything that goes wrong. 'These behaviours may seem subtle or be easily dismissed by others, but they create an atmosphere of fear, tension and emotional distress that can be deeply damaging over time.' In one case, the husband did not allow his wife to work, limited her allowance and forbade her from switching on the lights at home, supposedly to save electricity. He threatened to divorce her, and the stress caused the woman to be hospitalised. CCPS provided safety planning and marital counselling, and referred her to Daughters Of Tomorrow, a charity for underprivileged women, for job placement. Mr Marcus Lim, head of Touch Family Support at Touch Community Services, said some victims are unsure what constitutes abuse. Its social workers usually discover the abuse when handling the client's other issues. One time, a woman said she was worried about her husband's reaction to her finding work. The man often threatened to harm her, and tracked her whereabouts for fear of her interacting with other men. Mr Lim said: '(The woman) didn't get help because he never actually hit her, so she didn't consider it violence.' Emotional abuse can evolve into physical abuse, like in Madam Anna's case. When she confided in her husband about previously being sexually assaulted by a relative, he made derogatory remarks about her. He punched her face while she was pregnant, and blamed her when their children fell sick. She said: 'He made me believe I was not a good mother.' Police officers referred her to CCPS, where she filed a PPO. Underreported cases Mr Lim believes cases are underreported because many may not be aware of the expanded definition or still associate family violence only with visible injuries. He added: 'More education and cultural change are crucial for survivors to feel seen, believed, and safe to come forward earlier.' Mr Mohamed Baiross, managing partner at IRB Law, said victims have secured PPOs based solely on psychological abuse or repeated verbal degradation. But, he said, it is challenging to obtain enough proof in these cases and advised clients to document such abuse. Head lawyer Gloria James-Civetta of Gloria James-Civetta & Co said some clients look for psychiatrists and obtain specialist reports to show they have suffered from gaslighting and narcissistic behaviour. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that causes victims to question the validity of their own thoughts or memories. To grant a PPO, the court must be satisfied family violence has been committed or is likely to be committed against the victim. It must determine the PPO is necessary for the victim's protection or personal safety. In the first quarter of 2025, 34 per cent of PPO applications filed were granted. The success rate was 45 per cent and 46 per cent in 2024 and 2023, respectively. A Ministry of Social and Family Development spokeswoman said victim-survivors can file a PPO application at any protection specialist centre (PSC), or at the FJC. The four PSCs in Singapore are Trans Safe Centre in Bedok, Pave Integrated Services for Individual and Family in Ang Mo Kio and Yishun, and CCPS in Commonwealth. An application can be made online before visiting a PSC or the FJC to complete it. The spokeswoman added that the ministry also supports victim-survivors through family service centres, which provide both practical and emotional support. She said the court may order parties and their family members to attend a mandatory counselling programme offered by social service agencies. After CCPS assisted Madam Anna with her PPO application, she was assured of her family's safety. She said: 'I started to confidently share (my story). I don't need to hide or be scared of anything.'
