Death Penalty Dismissed Over Drugs: Two Men Cleared in Singapore Court
A Surprise Turn in the High Stakes Drug Trial
On Friday, the Court of Appeal stunned the legal community by overturning the convictions of two men who had been locked up for drug trafficking. One of them had been facing the dreaded death sentence, while the other was set to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Who Are These Guys?
- Raj Kumar Aiyachami (40) – a Singaporean accused of transporting a hefty 1.875 kg bag of cannabis.
- Ramadass Punnusamy (41) – a Malaysian courier who allegedly delivered the same stash.
The Crux of the Case: Misunderstandings and Misdirected Goods
Both defendants argued that they had no idea the drugs were real. Raj claimed he had ordered a tobacco blend laced with a synthetic chemical called “Butterfly” – a marketed weed substitute. He said the NCB officers inadvertently handed him the wrong bag. Ramadass, on the other hand, insisted he only knew about “chemically sprayed tobacco” that was supposedly dropped in a lorry he’d been driving.
Why the Appeals Made Sense
The appellate panel was chiefly concerned with whether each man truly knew the nature of the substance they handled. The judge who sentenced Raj found his story too outlandish to be credible, and Tassio dismissive of Ramadass’s evidence.
Key Takeaways
- Raj’s mistaken delivery argument gained traction after additional witnesses bolstered his claim.
- The judge also deemed Ramadass’s statements unreliable when it came to proving he was fully aware of the drugs.
The Aftermath
In a dramatic reversal, the Court of Appeal cleared both men of the drug charges. Raj no longer faces the death penalty, and Ramadass is freed from the hard‑wired sentence of life imprisonment coupled with 15 years of physical flogging. The verdict underscores the importance of rigorous evidence before handing out life‑altering punishments.
This story first broke on The Straits Times, and published with the necessary permission.
