Indian-origin man executed for trafficking 1 kg cannabis

Tangaraju Suppiah was detained in 204 for consuming drugs and failing to report to a drug test. A statement from the Singapore prison read that Tangaraju Suppiah “had his capital sentence carried out today at Changi Prison Complex”.

Tangaraju was handed a death sentence as he did not meet any of the conditions that could have exempted him from being executed.

On Tuesday, the court dismissed his application, seeking a review of his case and stay on his execution. The judgment of the court mentioned that Tangaraju did not present a legitimate basis for the court to review his case.

British billionaire Richard Branson and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani had extensively spoken about Tangaraju Suppiah’s case. The UN High Commissioner had also urged the government to review his case and “fully respect the most fundamental of human rights – the right to life.” Richard Branson said Suppiah’s conviction in the case did not meet the standards. The Singapore government, however, rejected the charges, saying the billionaire’s statement “disrespect” the country’s justice system.

He later appealed against his conviction and sentence but it was dismissed in August 2019, with the court agreeing that Tangaraju had conspired to traffic in cannabis and that he had used a phone to communicate with his accomplice.

Tangaraju, who represented himself, made a final attempt to appeal his case. He claimed that the prosecution did not provide sufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he and Mogan had conspired to traffic the precise amount of 1017.9g of cannabis.

However, Justice Chong said it was never Tangaraju’s case at trial that the agreement with Mogan was to traffic an amount below the threshold amount for capital punishment or any lesser quantity.

(With agency inputs)