Spanish court denies bid to deport Mitchell Ong, suspect in Audrey Fang case

SINGAPORE: In the latest development in the case of Audrey Fang, the Singaporean woman whose body was found in Spain in April 2024, a Spanish judge has denied a bid for Mitchell Ong, the man accused of her murder, to be deported to Singapore.

If Mr Ong were to be convicted, he could face the death penalty. His deportation was sought by Spain’s Policia Nacional because he had been in Spain illegally when Ms Fang was killed. However, a court ruled that Mr Ong did not meet the requirements for deportation under Spanish law as a foreign national.

On Thursday (May 29), CNA quoted the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as saying that if Mr Ong is sent back to Singapore, he could not be legally investigated or prosecuted anyway since the city-state had no jurisdiction over the reported slaying of Ms Fang.

“This has been communicated to our Spanish counterparts. Spanish law enforcement agencies have informed us that they are currently prosecuting Ong in Spain. The Singapore government will render assistance to the Spanish authorities within the ambit of our laws,” the MFA said.

Maria Jesus Ruiz de Castaneda, Mr Ong’s lawyer, had earlier said she was against the deportation of her client.

“He is involved in ongoing criminal proceedings in Spain, where he must be tried with due process. Expulsion would be contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights, the principle of non-refoulement, and Spain’s commitments against the death penalty,” she said.

What happened to Audrey Fang?

Ms Fang was last seen leaving a hotel in the Costa Blanca region of Spain, where she had been on a solo vacation, on Apr 9, 2024. She was reported missing shortly thereafter.

While she had been scheduled to check out on Apr 10, she never returned to the hotel, leaving all her belongings in her room. Her family grew concerned after not having heard from her since the day she was last seen.

After Ms Fang failed to make her flight back to Singapore from Barcelona, a family friend who lives in Madrid informed the Singapore consulate of her disappearance. They, in turn, contacted the local authorities.

On April 10, her remains were found with more than 30 stab wounds in a parking lot in the city of Murcia, which is 150 kilometres away from the hotel where she had been staying. Her identity was later established on Apr 17, with the delay being caused by the fact that her body was found without any identification documents.

/TISG

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