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Straits Times
7 days ago
- Straits Times
Judge rejects AGC's request to strike out Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against CPIB
Indonesian Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was arrested in Singapore on Jan 17. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM Judge rejects AGC's request to strike out Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against CPIB SINGAPORE - An application made by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to strike out portions of affidavits submitted in a fugitive Indonesian man's bail hearing was rejected by a district court judge on May 28. The affidavits were said to contain allegations against the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), but these details were not revealed in court. The Indonesian businessman, Paulus Tannos, was arrested on Jan 17 by CPIB over corruption allegations in Indonesia, where he had been on its fugitive list since Oct 19, 2021. On May 27 and 28, Deputy Senior State Counsel Sivakumar Ramasamy argued that the defence counsel representing Tannos had asked for permission to file an affidavit to tender facts in relation to his admission to Changi General Hospital (CGH) in May. Permission was granted for this, but Mr Sivakumar said the two affidavits submitted – one from Tannos and another from a lawyer named Paulus Sinatra Wijaya – were beyond the scope of what the court had allowed. Mr Sivakumar said parts of Tannos' own affidavit covered his past interaction with the Indonesian authorities and CPIB, replying to points made by a CPIB investigating officer on the issue of him being a flight risk. Mr Sivakumar said these were covered in an earlier bail hearing and legal arguments had been made on these issues. On May 28, Tannos' defence lawyer Bachoo Mohan Singh objected to the AGC's application. He said: 'I've never come across a scenario that when a man is fighting for his liberty, he is constrained from saying what he wishes to say.' Addressing District Judge Brenda Tan, Mr Singh added: 'I would not be doing my job if I were to ignore important issues and issues which I consider vital in my client's effort to seek liberty. 'However, we have no objection to (the AGC) filing anything in reply. In the interest of justice, it is only fair they have a say.' After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Tan rejected the AGC's application. She said: 'I'm inclined to leave the further affidavits in the application on record in the interest of justice and completeness and give the state a chance to respond to this.' Addressing Mr Singh, the judge added: 'To be fair, you have put in contents which you were not given permission to, so the state has a right of reply.' Separately, the judge referred to a CGH medical report that had been tendered earlier. She said she knows the senior consultant who signed off on the medical report and asked if the defence and the AGC had any issue with her being the judge for the bail hearing. Mr Singh said he had consulted his client, who had no issue with it. Mr Sivakumar also said he had no issue with this. At the conclusion of the hearing on May 28, Tannos again did not give consent to be extradited to Indonesia. Under the Extradition Act, fugitives can give consent to their extradition and waive extradition proceedings. Indonesia put in a formal extradition request for Tannos on Feb 24. The extradition treaty between Singapore and Indonesia took effect on March 21, 2024. It grants extradition for a list of offences, including corruption, money laundering and bribery, and can be retrospectively applied to crimes committed up to 18 years ago. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
The Star
28-05-2025
- The Star
Singapore judge rejects prosecutors' request to strike out fugitive Indonesian's allegations against Corrupt Practices bureau
Indonesian Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was arrested in Singapore on Jan 17. - SCREENGRAB FROM SINGAPORE: An application made by the prosecution to strike out portions of affidavits submitted in a fugitive Indonesian man's bail hearing was rejected by a district court judge on Wednesday (May 28). The affidavits were said to contain allegations against the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), but these details were not revealed in court. The Indonesian businessman, Paulus Tannos, was arrested on Jan 17 by CPIB over corruption allegations in Indonesia, where he had been on its fugitive list since Oct 19, 2021. On May 27 and 28, Deputy Senior State Counsel Sivakumar Ramasamy argued that the defence counsel representing Tannos had asked for permission to file an affidavit to tender facts in relation to his admission to Changi General Hospital (CGH) in May. Permission was granted for this, but Sivakumar said the two affidavits submitted – one from Tannos and another from a lawyer named Paulus Sinatra Wijaya – were beyond the scope of what the court had allowed. Sivakumar said parts of Tannos' own affidavit covered his past interaction with the Indonesian authorities and CPIB, replying to points made by a CPIB investigating officer on the issue of him being a flight risk. Sivakumar said these were covered in an earlier bail hearing and legal arguments had been made on these issues. On May 28, Tannos' defence lawyer Bachoo Mohan Singh objected to the prosecution's application. He said: 'I've never come across a scenario that when a man is fighting for his liberty, he is constrained from saying what he wishes to say.' Addressing District Judge Brenda Tan, Singh added: 'I would not be doing my job if I were to ignore important issues and issues which I consider vital in my client's effort to seek liberty. 'However, we have no objection to the prosecution filing anything in reply. In the interest of justice, it is only fair they have a say.' After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Tan rejected the prosecution's application. She said: 'I'm inclined to leave the further affidavits in the application on record in the interest of justice and completeness and give the state a chance to respond to this.' Addressing Singh, the judge added: 'To be fair, you have put in contents which you were not given permission to, so the state has a right of reply.' Separately, the judge referred to a CGH medical report that had been tendered earlier. She said she knows the senior consultant who signed off on the medical report and asked if the defence and prosecution had any issue with her being the judge for the bail hearing. Singh said he had consulted his client, who had no issue with it. The prosecutor also said he had no issue with this. At the conclusion of the hearing on May 28, Tannos again did not give consent to be extradited to Indonesia. Under the Extradition Act, fugitives can give consent to their extradition and waive extradition proceedings. Indonesia put in a formal extradition request for Tannos on Feb 24. The extradition treaty between Singapore and Indonesia took effect on March 21, 2024. It grants extradition for a list of offences, including corruption, money laundering and bribery, and can be retrospectively applied to crimes committed up to 18 years ago. - The Straits Times/ANN
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
First batch of five electric buses arrives in Puducherry; trial run in a few days
After a long wait, the first batch of five electric buses, including a prototype, have arrived in Puducherry from Hyderabad. Another bus is expected this week. The low-floor buses supplied by Evey Trans Private Limited, a subsidiary of Olectra Greentech, reached Puducherry on Monday (May 26, 2025) and is aimed at strengthening the public transport sector's shift to electric vehicles. Commuters in Puducherry and its suburbs can now expect an improved and hassle-free travel experience, thanks to the modern features of these electric buses, officials said. The charging station for the electric buses is being established by Evey Trans Private Limited on a 25,000 sq. ft. site belonging to the Puducherry government on Maraimalai Adigal Salai. A major portion of the work is completed, and the facility will be ready in the next two weeks. According to Transport Commissioner A.S. Sivakumar: 'As many as five buses have arrived, while another bus is expected this week. The remaining 19 buses will be inducted in a phased manner before July-end. These buses have been brought in under the FAME-II scheme of the Government of India.' 'The 25 buses (10 AC and 15 non-AC) are 9-metre buses and will be run under Gross Cost Contract (GCC) in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The ₹23-crore seed funding from the Smart City project will be utilised for the payment on per km basis along with ticket revenue. The buses will ply on 15 tentative routes within urban areas, and will be operated under a Viability Gap Funding model.' The prototype of the bus will be on a trial run for a few days to assess its technical and mechanical strength. It will ply on designated routes for a few days without any passengers to check single charging range and other practical aspects. The buses will then be formally flagged off by the Lt. Governor and Chief Minister, and be available for city residents. Tentative routes The buses will ply on two routes — the first one starts from the railway station and ends at the airport, and goes through the old bus stand, new bus stand, Indira Gandhi square, Rajiv Gandhi square, and Jeeva colony. The second route starts from Puducherry to the airport, and will ply through the railway station, Government General Hospital, Ajantha signal, Karuvadikuppam, and Lawspet. With the charging station being set up by the operator getting ready, Evey Trans Private Limited has planned to charge the buses at a facility run by another private operator near the toll gate at Morattandi. This company already operates electric buses from Puducherry to Chennai, and the facility will be used for charging buses overnight, Mr. Sivakumar said. The upcoming charging station includes allied infrastructure with annual fleet-level guaranteed operations of 200 km per day per bus, for a period of 12 years. The operator is to foot the electricity cost and all maintenance costs of the buses. The Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) or Puducherry Urban Transport Agency (PUTA) will be responsible for the fare collection and passenger tax on tickets, while all other permissions and clearances, including registration, insurance, stage carrier permit, Motor Vehicle Tax, and GST on kilometre charges, will be borne by the operator. An escrow account has been created and all revenue generated and the income accruing from the operation of the buses will be deposited into the account. This would help in rationalising the prices that would be paid on a per kilometre usage. The battery-operated buses have a life of 6-7 years and cover over 200 km in one charge. It takes around six hours to charge the buses.
Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Straits Times
Prosecution looks to strike out fugitive Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against CPIB
Indonesian Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was arrested in Singapore on Jan 17. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM Prosecution looks to strike out fugitive Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against CPIB SINGAPORE - The prosecution wants to strike out portions of affidavits submitted in a fugitive Indonesian man's bail hearing said to contain allegations against the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). Paulus Tannos was arrested on Jan 17 by CPIB over corruption allegations in Indonesia, where he had been on its fugitive list since Oct 19, 2021. On May 27, Deputy Senior State Counsel Sivakumar Ramasamy told the court a defence counsel representing Paulus Tannos had on May 15 asked for permission to file an affidavit to tender facts in relation to his admission to Changi General Hospital (CGH) between May 2 and 9. After the court allowed this, two affidavits were submitted - one from Tannos and another from a lawyer named Mr Paulus Sinatra Wijaya. Mr Sivakumar said these were beyond the scope of what the court had allowed. He said parts of Tannos' own affidavit covers his past interaction with the Indonesian authorities and CPIB, replying to points made by a CPIB investigating officer on the issue of him being a flight risk. Mr Sivakumar said these were covered in an earlier bail hearing and legal arguments had been made on these issues. The state counsel said there was no permission for the second affidavit, which also covered Tannos' interactions with Indonesian authorities and CPIB. Mr Sivakumar said the prosecution was applying for this affidavit and portions of the other one to be struck out and disregarded. One of Tannos' lawyers, Hamza Malik, said this was the first time the defence had been notified of this. He asked the court that the application be heard at the start of the bail hearing on May 28, so they could take Tannos' instructions. Mr Sivakumar said he brought this issue up on May 27 so that if the prosecution's application to strike out those parts were not allowed, then it would get permission to file a reply affidavit as Tannos' affidavits contained allegations against CPIB which had to be addressed . He did not specify what these allegations were. District Judge Brenda Tan said she will hear the application on May 28. Separately, the judge referred to a CGH medical report that had been tendered earlier. She said she knows the senior consultant who signed off the medical report and asked if the defence and prosecution had any issue with her being the judge for the bail hearing. While both parties said they had no issue with it, Mr Malik asked if he could discuss this with Tannos. District Judge Tan agreed for the issue to be addressed on May 28. Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was president and director of Sandipala Arthaputra, a technology company awarded a contract to produce part of the Indonesian government's electronic ID card or e-KTP project. The graft scandal caused state losses of about 2.3 trillion rupiah (S$180 million). Tannos is believed to have been living in Singapore since 2012. He was arrested here after the Indonesian government made a provisional arrest request against him. As Tannos fights to be released on bail, a date has been set in June for his committal hearing which would determine whether he should be extradited to face charges. At the hearing on May 27, he again refused to give consent for him to be extradited to Indonesia. Under the Extradition Act, fugitives can give consent to their extradition and waive extradition proceedings. Indonesia put in a formal extradition request for Tannos on Feb 24. The extradition treaty between Singapore and Indonesia took effect on March 21, 2024. It grants extradition for a list of offences, including corruption, money laundering and bribery, and can be retrospectively applied to crimes committed up to 18 years ago. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
OHS junior places 3rd in UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest
May 22—Shijay Sivakumar, the middle school spelling whiz who made the Scripps National Spelling Bee, is now at Odessa High School and placed third in the state UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest earlier this week in Austin. Javier Ruiz, who teaches English 4 (seniors) and coaches Academic Decathlon and UIL Spelling at OHS, said Sivakumar is an amazing young man. "He handles his rigorous school load plus devotes time to band and UIL. He is very talented! I hope we get to work together again next year!" Ruiz said. This was Sivakumar's first time making state in the contest and he said his spelling bee preparation in middle school helped him get there. "It was just something for me to ... exercise my interest with spelling," said Sivakumar, now 17. He added that he didn't know about the UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest previously. "But through high school, I just found out about it, and I started competing," Sivakumar said. According to the UIL website, each year, the UIL Spelling and Vocabulary Contest is based on a different vocabulary list provided by UIL and consists of a three-part test. Part I: A fifteen-minute section of 30 multiple-choice items focused on vocabulary and proofreading. Part II and III: The hand-written spelling of 70 words pronounced aloud to contestants, as well as a tiebreaker section of 20 additional pronounced words, the site detailed. Sivakumar, who will be a senior next year, added that he is pleased with how he did. He added that Ruiz helped him and set everything up. "He told me that he hadn't gone to state in 20 years doing this, and no one ever from the school has made state. So I told myself, okay, I'm going to be the first. And I told myself, I was going to put OHS on the map and do it for him, try and make state, and I did that, so I'm glad, and I also medaled at state, so I'm pretty satisfied," Sivakumar said. Sivakumar is in the International Baccalaureate program at OHS. "I love the IB program. Actually, my friends, we've all gotten super close through the IB program, all of us having the same classes together. ... I couldn't do it without ... my friends and teachers. They've been my biggest supporters throughout everything this year," he added. He said preparing for these contests teaches you a lot of discipline and work ethic. He could try the contest again next year, but he's not sure if he'll have the time with all his IB exams. "I'm going to ponder it (and) see if I have the time to do it before making a decision on that," Sivakumar said. The competition was held at UT Austin and he had a really good time touring the campus so he hopes to go there, Harvard or Brown in no particular order. His sister Shreeya, an eighth grader at the Young Women's Leadership Academy, will be competing in the Scripps bee next week in Washington, D.C. The competition starts May 27. Sivakumar wanted to make a shout-out to her, sending his support and hoping she does "the best she can." He also thanked Ruiz. "He's been ... a big help with all the travel and logistics. I'm glad I was able to make state for him, and I wanted to shout out the IB program. They've helped me so much. My friends and teachers, honestly, I couldn't do any of this without them. (I'm) just so blessed to have all of them in my life," Sivakumar said.
