UPDATE: A last-ditch motion filed by Nagaenthran’s mother, Panchalai Supermaniam, on Tuesday (Apr 26) afternoon, was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.
This means that Nagaenthran is likely to be executed at 6:00 on Wednesday morning.
Mdm Panchalai had filed a criminal motion to challenge the legality of previous judgments, based on the grounds of conflict of interest, as Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who been the serving attorney-general who had prosecuted Nagaenthran and secured his conviction, had also dismissed his appeals.
Appearing before court without a lawyer, Mdm Panchalai explained that their family had filed the motion in order to buy time to obtain a lawyer for Nagaenthran.
Her argument was called baseless by Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Woon Kwong, however.
Mdm Panchalai’s motion was dismissed by Justices Andrew Phang, Judith Prakash and Belinda Ang, who composed the Court of Appeal.
Justice Phang said the court deemed the application to be “devoid of merit”.
British billionaire Richard Branson has called once again for a stay of execution for convicted Malaysian drug trafficker Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who is set to be hanged on Wednesday (Apr 27).
Mr Branson, who has been campaigning against the death penalty for years along with other business leaders, said of Madam Halimah, “I really just hope that on Wednesday evening, she does not have this young man’s death on her hands.
Mr Branson, 71, was recently interviewed by Agence France-Presse, which was published on Apr 25. In it, he asked Halimah Yacob, the President of Singapore, to grant clemency to Nagaenthran, who is said to have an IQ of 69 and to suffer from an intellectual disability.
“We just beg her to grant him clemency. We beg her to reconsider whether in this day and age Singapore should… be in the business of hanging people.
It’s just so inhumane.
I don’t think civilised countries should be in the business of killing their own people, or killing anybody.”
Nagaenthran, 34, has been on death row for 11 years. He was arrested for drug trafficking when he was 21, and sentenced to death for importing 42.72g of heroin into Singapore. At his trial, he claimed he had been coerced by a man who assaulted him and threatened to kill his girlfriend.
His case landed in the international spotlight last year, and he had originally been scheduled to hang on Nov 10. But his execution was delayed when he tested positive for Covid-19 on Nov 8.
Mr Branson first spoke out against Nagaenthran’s death penalty on that day, saying, “I join many others concerned about this tragic case in calling on Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob to use her pardon powers and spare Nagaenthran’s life. It would be the just and fair thing to do.”
Earlier this year, on Feb 25, he said, “No one is doubting what he (Nagaenthran) did, but virtually everyone I have heard from agrees that he does not deserve to die, including Malaysia’s King and Prime Minister, a great number of human rights advocates, as well as more than 100,000 people who have signed a petition for the execution to be halted.”
The billionaire executive told AFP that while he has “enormous respect” for Singapore, the death penalty is the one aspect of Singapore that is “really negative”.
“It’s the one horrible blotch on its reputation,” he said, urging Singapore to “abolish the death penalty altogether” and “do what most other civilised countries have done”.
Nagaenthran’s mother is set to mount a legal challenge at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday (Apr 26).
On Monday night, a candlelight vigil at Hong Lim Park was held for Nagaenthran as well as for Datchinamurthy Kataiah, 36, who was in a neighbouring cell to Nagaenthran for many years and is scheduled for hanging on Apr 29, Friday.
In 2015, Datchinamurthy, also a Malaysian national, was sentenced to hang after having been found guilty of smuggling 44.96gm of diamorphine into Singapore in 2011.
On March 30, Singapore carried out its first execution in more than two years. Abdul Kahar bin Othman, 68, had been convicted on two charges of trafficking diamorphine in 2013 and given the death penalty two years later. /TISG
A TikToker uploaded a short clip of a young man dressed in a navy uniform whom she claimed had filmed her from the Botanic Gardens to the Bukit Panjang MRT.
The video, which @rachieeeex posted on Apr 14, went viral, gaining over 1.5 million views. The 17-second clip showed the young man sitting on a train, seeming to look at his phone. Later he puts it against his crotch. It is uncertain whether he is filming the person sitting across from him.
And while his black mask covers the lower part of his face, the TikToker included a still photo of him, showing his features clearly. There is no name tag on the man’s uniform, however.
watch till the end ‼️ this guy had filmed me from botanic gardens to bukit panjang mrt and i hope people like you rot in hell and get the punishment you deserve . stay safe everyone 🤠
Moreover, she angrily captioned the video, “watch till the end ‼️ this guy had filmed me from botanic gardens to bukit panjang mrt and i hope people like you rot in hell and get the punishment you deserve. stay safe everyone 🤠”
Some netizens commenting on her post, which was also shared on the Singapore Incidents Facebook page, have been less than kind, accusing the poster of wanting attention and claiming that she had no proof that he had filmed her, and now she was filming him.
On April 22, @rachieeeex posted a longer TikTok to clarify her previous one.
The incident occurred one day when she got on the train at Botanic Gardens on her way to school, and the man sitting opposite her caught her attention because she saw her own reflection on the MRT window that had come from the screen of the man’s phone.
This is how she determined he had been filming her.
She also said that she “had no intention of posting these to get attention or fame” but simply wanted to raise awareness of such incidents where people are followed and filmed without their consent.
“You are not alone if you have experienced this before. And that it’s more common than you think it is,” she said, adding that it happens not only in Singapore but in other places, and may happen to men as well as women.
She added that such incidents “shouldn’t be taken so lightly and that it should be taken more seriously because it does affect our mental health a lot and you shouldn’t invalidate other people’s feelings because you don’t know what they are feeling like.”
@rachieeeex wanted to confront him but was “too scared,” she added, and said “And why I filmed him was because at that point of time I was only thinking about getting evidence for the police and I was holding my phone like this while using the zoom out camera mode.”
Many of the comments on her more recent TikTok were more supportive.
Lawrence Wong on racism & foreign workforce in Singapore
Singapores National Development Minister Lawrence Wong speaks during a press conference on coronavirus situation in Singapore on January 27, 2020. – Singapore have four case of the coronavirus. All four patients had arrived in the city-state from Wuhan over the last week. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)
A recent article in Bloomberg, which has been republished in several online sites including the Financial Post, featured a compilation of Mr Wong’s comments on such pressing issues as racism and immigration, among other significant issues.
After rude customer lectures hawker, Kf Seetoh argues, ‘Eateries & hawkers should review customers… they have a right too’
Photo: YouTube screengrab, KF Seetoh
An encounter with a disrespectful customer has prompted Makansutra founder Kf Seetoh to suggest that hawkers and eatery owners or staff should review customers too, instead of merely the other way around, as is more common. “They have a right too,” he added in a comment to his Facebook post on Monday (Apr 25), where he told the story of the incident.
“In this social media world with trolls, vengeful, dull n loud keyboard warriors plus the entitled boor..customers are no longer king. True, sincere service is. True story ahead,” he wrote in his post.
Padi (rice) farmer wins stay of execution on jail sentence after citing Najib’s case
It was only a matter of time before the courts in Malaysia start hearing arguments inspired by ex-PM Najib Razak’s 1MDB-linked cases.
And this week, by invoking the example of Najib as precedent, a padi farmer was able to get his jail term for causing serious harm delayed while waiting for the outcome of his last appeal.
EV charging cable not long enough? No problem: TESLA spotted taking up 3 parking slots to charge
Photo: FB screengrab/ROADS.sg
A photo of a Tesla parked perpendicular across three parking slots to charge has gone viral on social media, with netizens noting this issue would become more prevalent amid a push for electric vehicle usage.
“Charging cable not long enough?” asked Facebook page ROADS.sg in a post on Sunday (Apr 24). The page attached a photo of a Tesla parked across one EV lot and two normal parking slots at Vivocity on Apr 21.
A Comprehensive Guide To Cash Value in Whole Life Plans
Shopping for life insurance plans can seem complicated at times. With terms that you probably have never seen before and the numerous riders and policy types, it often leaves many confused.
One of the many terms that often leave buyers confused is “cash value”. From what “cash value” actually means to why you should get it, we have it all covered.
The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner issued a statement on Monday (April 25) urging the Government of Singapore to halt the imminent execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam and Datchinamurthy Kataiah.
Nagaenthran, 34, is set to be hanged on Wednesday (April 27) andDatchinamurthy, 36, is scheduled for execution two days afterwards (April 29). Both are Malaysian officials who were convicted of drug offences.
We urge #Singapore🇸🇬 to commute the sentences of Dharmalingam & Kataiah, due to be executed on Wednesday for drug offences.
“We are deeply concerned at the rapid rise in the number of execution notices issued since the beginning of the year in Singapore, mainly for drug-related offences.”
The statement noted that after a hiatus of over two years, judicial executions began again last month, on March 30, when Abdul Kahar bin Othman, who had been convicted of drug-related offences, was hanged.
There are at least three other men found guilty of drug-related offences who are also at risk of imminent execution: Roslan bin Bakar, Rosman bin Abdullah, and Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, and over 50 individuals are allegedly on death row in Singapore, the statement added.
The UN Human Rights office added, “The use of the death penalty for drug-related offences is incompatible with international human rights law. Countries that have not yet abolished the death penalty may only impose it for the ‘most serious crimes’, which is interpreted as crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing.”
Furthermore, it urged the Government to “immediately halt execution plans” and consider granting clemency to the two men, as well as commuting their sentences to prison terms.
It also called upon Singapore to review “its long-standing position on the death penalty in light of increasing evidence showing its ineffectiveness as a deterrent and to consider implementing a moratorium on all death sentences pending such review.”
Nagaenthran, who is said to have an IQ of 69 and to suffer from an intellectual disability, has been on death row for 11 years. He was arrested for drug trafficking when he was 21, and sentenced to death for importing 42.72g of heroin into Singapore. At his trial, he claimed he had been coerced by a man who assaulted him and threatened to kill his girlfriend.
His case landed in the international spotlight last year, with many local activists and international figures calling for his pardon, including the Prime Minister and King of Malaysia. He had originally been scheduled to hang on Nov 10. But his execution was delayed when he tested positive for Covid-19 on Nov 8.
On Monday night, a candlelight vigil at Hong Lim Park was held for Nagaenthran and Datchinamurthy.
In 2015, Datchinamurthy, also a Malaysian national, was sentenced to hang after having been found guilty of smuggling 44.96gm of diamorphine into Singapore in 2011. /TISG
Shopping for life insurance plans can seem complicated at times. With terms that you probably have never seen before and the numerous riders and policy types, it often leaves many confused.
One of the many terms that often leave buyers confused is “cash value”. From what “cash value” actually means to why you should get it, we have it all covered.
Cash Value Explained
Image: Unsplash.com (@m_____me)
Cash value is essentially the investment component of life insurance policies. As a portion of your policy that earns interest and is tax-free, it is a sum of money available for your use for various purposes such as loans or to pay a policy.
A cash value life insurance policy typically offers two benefits in a single policy, cash value itself as well as a death benefit. Death benefit refers to the amount of money paid out to the policyholder’s beneficiary after they pass away.
While the cash value in the policy will allow policyholders to draw loans, it is usually not immediate. Typically, the cash value will only start to accrue after five years. Only once your cash value has begun to accrue, will the cash value be available for your use. However, every insurer is different, so do check your policy wording for more details.
The cash value that has been accrued will be available to you during your lifetime only. As such, should you pass on, your beneficiaries will only receive the death benefit and the remaining cash value will be reverted to your insurer.
Which Life Insurance Policies Offer Cash Value?
While it is offered under life insurance, not all life insurance policies offer the cash value feature. To clear the confusion, we have included a list of the life insurance policies that offer the cash value feature below.
Whole life insurance
Variable Universal life insurance
Indexed Universal life insurance
Whole Life Insurance
For the whole life insurance policy, policyholders will pay a fixed monthly premium and will only be able to access their cash value by taking up a loan against their policy. Furthermore, they will be entitled to a guaranteed death benefit. As for the cash value, it will accrue at a minimum guaranteed rate.
Variable and Indexed Universal Life Insurance
Compared to whole life insurance policies, universal life insurance offers greater flexibility. It allows you to change your death benefit and reduce your monthly premiums, so long as your cash value account has sufficient value to cover the cost of your policy.
Moreover, policyholders can access their cash value through either partial withdrawals or taking up a loan. For indexed universal life insurance, your cash value will be tied to an index, whereas variable universal life insurance policies are linked to accounts with investments of your choice.
How You Can Benefit From a Cash Value Policy
Image: Unsplash.com (@nci)
Here comes the most important question: How can you benefit from your cash value policy? From using it for loans to the tax-free benefits, we have it all covered below.
How You May Access Your Cash Value
In an emergency and you find yourself short of cash? Your cash value policy has got you covered! Whether you need cash for an emergency, to pay premiums, or essentially anything, you can withdraw from your cash value or take up a loan against it. We have listed three ways you can access your cash value below.
Withdraw From Your Cash Value
The most straightforward way is to simply withdraw money from your cash value policy. As mentioned above, this method is usually only available for universal life insurance policies.
The good thing about withdrawing from your cash value is that it will be tax-free. However, once the amount you are withdrawing exceeds the amount you have paid for the cash value portion of your policy, it will be taxed as income.
Do also note that drawing down from your cash value will reduce the death benefit paid to your beneficiaries when you pass on.
Take Up a Loan
As an alternative to withdrawing from your cash value, you may also take up loans against your policy. This method is available across the various types of life insurance policies offering cash value.
Available to you for emergencies, to cover your child’s education and almost everything, you can take out a loan and repay your insurer with interest to keep your death benefit. Depending on your insurer, the interest rate may be fixed or variable.
If you fail to repay the loan amount and pass on, the outstanding balance including interest will be deducted from the death benefit given to your beneficiaries.
Terminate Your Policy
The last way to access your cash value would be to terminate your policy. This entails walking away with the cash value without the death benefit and paying a cancellation fee imposed by the insurer. Your insurer will also deduct any unpaid premiums and outstanding loan amounts.
Tax-Free Benefits
A major perk of cash value is the tax-free benefits. Be it the loans that you take up against your policy death benefit payouts to your beneficiaries, they will all be free from taxes. What’s better is that your cash value will accrue on a tax-deferred basis as well. As such sums of money are generally large amounts, this makes such a perk all the more important.
Having said that, if you withdraw from your cash value or terminate your policy, you may be taxed on the amount of money that came from interest or investment gains.
Use It to Offset Your Premiums
Depending on your policy and the amount of money remaining in your cash-value account, you may be able to use it to offset a portion of your premiums. This is a great option for those facing difficulties in paying their life insurance policy premiums. However, do check with your individual insurer on their policy regarding using your cash value to pay for premiums.
An Option for High-Income Earners
For the individuals who have managed to max out their retirement account contributions, you can consider getting a cash value policy! Providing you with an additional account for tax-free savings, cash value policies are a great option to help you maximise your savings.
What You Should Take Note of When Considering a Cash Value Policy
Image: Unsplash.com (@priscilladupreez)
Having a cash value policy does offer a ton of benefits. However, it may not be suitable for everyone, and it is imperative that you read the fine print of your individual policy.
High Premiums
A key barrier to getting a cash value policy is the high premiums required as compared to a regular life insurance policy. This is because the premium that you pay will go to three places, cash value, the cost of insuring you as well as the policy fees and charges. As such, cash value policies are typically recommended to high-income earners with sufficient cash to fully enjoy the benefits that a cash value policy has to offer without having outstanding loan amounts.
To calculate the term life insurance premium, we have assumed the following:
35-year-old male
Non-smoker
Sum insured: S$1,500,000
Coverage term: 5 years
To calculate the whole life insurance premium, we have assumed the following:
35-year-old male
Non-smoker
Sum insured: S$1,500,000
Coverage term: Until age 85
Plan
Annual Premium
DIRECT-Etiqa Term Life Plan
S$709.56
DIRECT-Etiqa Whole Life Plan
S$3,267.36
Long Waiting Time
Apart from the high premiums, policyholders are only able to enjoy the benefits of the cash value after accruing it over a number of years. Oftentimes, it could take years and decades even to effectively accrue a significant amount.
Evidently, getting a cash value policy requires you to play the waiting game. As such, it is recommended that you start as early as 35 years old to accumulate a substantial amount to use.
The Choice Is Yours
While it is a great safety net for your loved ones, should something happen to you, can you afford the exorbitant premium? As the majority of insurers in Singapore charge an early termination fee, you may end up paying more than the amount you are enjoying from the cash value.
Apart from your financial standing, it is important to consider your family’s needs. If your loved ones rely heavily on you, perhaps having an additional savings account would be a good decision if you can afford it.
Ultimately, whether you choose to get a cash value life insurance policy boils down to your financial situation as well as your needs. While you decide if you should get a cash value policy, feel free to check out https://www.valuechampion.sg/best-cheap-life-insurance for our comprehensive review on life insurance policies in Singapore.
A photo of a Tesla parked perpendicular across three parking slots to charge has gone viral on social media, with netizens noting this issue would become more prevalent amid a push for electric vehicle usage.
“Charging cable not long enough?” asked Facebook page ROADS.sg in a post on Sunday (Apr 24). The page attached a photo of a Tesla parked across one EV lot and two normal parking slots at Vivocity on Apr 21.
“Then installation company is not thinking hard enough?” the page added.
With over 280 comments to date, members from the online community shared different opinions on the incident, such as the driver’s not-so-smart behaviour despite using an otherwise smart vehicle.
“When smart car dictates, drivers become stupid,” said a netizen.
“Even if it is a cable issue also cannot park this way. Selfish to the max,” added another netizen.
Meanwhile, Facebook user Jon Tan noted that some EV chargers “were installed by non-EV drivers.”
“Some Shell stations have this problem too, so you have to manoeuvre your car and part with your port nearest the station.”
Facebook user Chua CH also had a lengthy explanation below.
Photo: FB screengrab/ROADS.sg
However, others responded that the Tesla driver could have parked the hood first.
“Seems like the cable is long enough if the car is parked head in,” said Facebook user Jason Lee.
“I doubt because the company who install this definitely try out before. And If there are faults, someone must have reported it, and that kiosk is not new,” said one Martin Yeo, responding to Mr Chua’s explanation.
“As a former installer of such machine at carparks, from structural works, carpark painting and marking and all the way to the installation of the charging box, I can assure you, the cable is way longer that is needed,” added Facebook user Jerrick Lim.
Motorists are urged to be aware of their surroundings when parking to avoid accidentally taking up more slots than intended. /TISG
An encounter with a disrespectful customer has prompted Makansutra founder Kf Seetoh to suggest that hawkers and eatery owners or staff should review customers too, instead of merely the other way around, as is more common. “They have a right too,” he added in a comment to his Facebook post on Monday (Apr 25), where he told the story of the incident.
“In this social media world with trolls, vengeful, dull n loud keyboard warriors plus the entitled boor..customers are no longer king. True, sincere service is. True story ahead,” he wrote in his post.
The Makansutra founder’s wife had apparently ordered from a hawker, who then told her to return to claim her order after the then-last customer in line had placed theirs.
She came back after 20 minutes and received her dish. However, this appeared to anger another customer.
Mr Seetoh wrote, “The person next, in front of line gives the hawker an earful despite hawker explaining. Customer continues his lecture.”
The hawker answered back by saying, “you are my regular who asks for extra free soup all the time. I just give it to u. Now you give me a piece of your mind.”
And then, after he gave the irate customer his order, the hawker told him, “consider this the last meal I will serve you.”
Mr Seetoh seemed to approve the hawker’s action, and ended his piece by writing, “No one needs this kinda customers in a world where service folks n hawkers are treated with no respect.”
He then added his comment that “Eateries n hawkers shd review customers..they hv a right too.”
A netizen hailed his comment as “a new business model” and suggested that hotels could do the same.
Other commenters were quick to condemn the irate customer.
A recent article in Bloomberg, which has been republished in several online sites including the Financial Post, featured a compilation of Mr Wong’s comments on such pressing issues as racism and immigration, among other significant issues.
Mr Wong has been in the United States since Apr 17 to attend the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings, the G20 2nd Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (FMCBG) and others, but wrote in a recent Facebook post that he is wrapping up his trip and will be returning to Singapore soon.
On the foreign workforce in Singapore, the minister has underlined what many others in the PAP have said about the country’s need for staying open to foreign businesses.
“As a small island-state with no natural resources and no hinterland, the only way we can only survive and prosper is to stay open and connected,” he said in Parliament last September.
“If we were to take a politically craven approach and impose many stringent conditions on their ability to operate here, we will lose out on many good investments. We would have fewer foreigners, for sure. But many Singaporeans will also be deprived of good jobs and career opportunities. It’s like cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face.
Singapore will remain open and welcoming. We must. But those who do business here must also recognize the value of our workforce and abide by our rules.
He also called upon Singaporeans to be “big-hearted and accepting of those who are different from us,” and for non-Singaporeans to “respect our norms and way of life, and make the effort to fit in.”
“We will continue to ensure that the companies we attract and root in Singapore are those who are committed to nurturing and growing our Singaporean core. Both sides need to make the effort. Singaporeans must be big-hearted and accepting of those who are different from us. Non-Singaporeans must respect our norms and way of life, and make the effort to fit in.”
“If global investors conclude that this is so, Singapore will become less attractive to them, and it will be ordinary Singaporeans who suffer the most,” he said.
“We must never let anti-foreigner sentiments take root here or give the impression that we are becoming more inward-looking,” added Mr Wong. “And I caution some in the House who have been shrill on this subject.”
As for racism, Mr Wong admitted in a June 2021 speech that racism exists in Singapore while he called for the majority Chinese population to exercise more sensitivity, amid a spate of racially-tinged incidents.
“Social media has helped to create greater awareness of racism here…. We must recognize that in any multi-racial society, it is harder to be a minority than a majority. This is so everywhere in the world.
So, it is important for the majority community in Singapore to do its part, and be sensitive to and conscious of the needs of minorities… we should be upfront and honest about the racialized experiences various groups feel, and deal squarely with them.” /TISG
Ho Ching’s list of best defence against scammers starts with ‘Don’t be greedy’
Ho Ching wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday (Apr 24) what she believes is the best defence against scammers, posting a list that begins with “Don’t be greedy.”
Mdm Ho, 69, the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as well as chairperson of Temasek Trust, is a prolific social media commentator.
Leadership on the Quiet: Women need not become chest-thumping macho men to lead
Photo: Blog screengrab/beautifullyincoherent.blogspot.com
It was International Women’s Month in March, and it was International Women’s Day on March 8. So, aside from covering the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic, the world’s media has been focused on women and their achievements in a number of fields.
The Economist, a British weekly news magazine, even went so far as to publish an article that declared “Societies that treat women badly are poorer and less stable.”
Thor is in Singapore! — Photo of lightning strike heading straight to an HDB flat window sparks witty explanations from netizens
Photo: FB screengrab/The Photographic Society of Singapore (PSS) and unsplash.com/Mateusz Wacławek
With Singapore in the middle of the monsoon season, photographers are on standby to capture amazing shots of nature’s fury, such as a perfectly-timed lightning strike!
“Looks like it’s heading straight into the house,” wrote Facebook page The Photographic Society of Singapore member Mak Wei Seng in a post on Saturday (Apr 23).
Jamus Lim wanted to be garbage collector when he was a young boy, today he dreams of all workers receiving sound, living wages that reward them for honest jobs, done well
Photo: FB screengrab/jamuslim
In a Facebook post about #CleanSG Day at his constituency, Sengkang GRC, Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Jamus Lim wrote that he had once aspired to be a garbage collector as a young boy.
The MP, an Associate Professor in economics at ESSEC Business School, wrote that “perhaps I was enamored by the trucks” by way of explanation for wanting to have been a garbage collector, but added that at present, part of his estate walk routine every week is to inspect rubbish chutes and collect trash, plus holding the now quarterly #SengkangGRC#CleanSG Day.
A man whose girlfriend “invaded” his “personal gaming space,” leading him to drop a team member and causing their rank to also drop, has asked for advice on how to deal with her. He described the woman as depressed as well as “overly needy” and the man appears to be at his wits’ end because of her behaviour.
“What do I do? Sometimes she even resort(s) to coming over to my place during my work at home just to squeeze out every last drop of time I have left,” he wrote in an Apr 24 post on the NUSWhispers Facebook page.
It was only a matter of time before the courts in Malaysia start hearing arguments inspired by ex-PM Najib Razak’s 1MDB-linked cases.
And this week, by invoking the example of Najib as precedent, a padi farmer was able to get his jail term for causing serious harm delayed while waiting for the outcome of his last appeal.
Many have criticised Najib for being free, as a severe sentence in the SRC International case hangs over his head.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison with a large fine, yet he is still a sitting member of the Malaysian Parliament and is free to traverse the country, campaigning in elections and winning them.
He has billions in unpaid taxes and has also gotten a stay in this matter too.
Lawyer Azrul Hasyimi Mohammad argued for Faiz Mohd Ruzeli (the padi farmer in question) at the Court of Appeal.
Defending his client he cited the instance of Najib, who was convicted on seven charges of corruption but was permitted to postpone his sentence awaiting the outcome of his last appeal in the Federal Court.
On the same day, July 28, 2020, Najib and Faiz were condemned in separate courts on distinct accusations.
Not surprisingly, a three-member Court of Appeal court led by Kamaludin Md Said granted Faiz’s motion for a stay of execution. They said his application for a stay of execution had merit.
“We agree that the sentence is suspended pending the outcome of his appeal against conviction and sentence,” the judge said, as reported by the local media.
The ruling caught the attention of some Twitter users. One said this is a precedent that is now set.
THE PRECEDENT SET A padi farmer succeeded in his application at the Court of Appeal today for a stay of execution of his seven-year jail term for causing grievous hurt to a villageman pending the outcome of his final appeal by citing the case of former prime minister Najib Razak.
It was only a matter of time before the courts in Malaysia start hearing arguments inspired by ex-PM Najib Razak’s 1MDB-linked cases.
