SINGAPORE’S clemency process for Malaysian Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, who is on death row for drug trafficking, was tainted with illegality, said a lawyers’ group.

Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) said in a statement today that a letter rejecting Pannir’s request for clemency had been dated on the same day as his notice of execution, suggesting executive interference in the clemency process.

“The letter from Singapore President Halimah Yacob refusing clemency is dated May 17, 2019, but the letter notifying family of the execution was posted out on May 16,” said LFL adviser N. Surendran.

“How can the prison proceed to execution prior to the date of refusal of clemency by the president? This is a serious and shocking irregularity that taints the entire clemency process.”

Both letters were dated May 17, he said in the statement.

Surendran said it was clear from the cavalier and irregular way in which the president’s office and Prison Services dealt with Pannir’s clemency that they intended to proceed with the execution all the while.

“They did not undertake the clemency process of this Malaysian citizen honestly or lawfully, and had thus breached his constitutional rights.”

Pannir is due to be executed at Changi Prison on May 24. The 32-year-old was convicted on June 27, 2017, by the Singapore High Court of trafficking in 51.84g of diamorphine at the Woodlands Checkpoint on September 3, 2014.

Pannir has consistently denied that he was aware he was carrying prohibited drugs.

Surendran said that Singapore was again executing a drug mule while traffickers escaped.

“Pannir had strong grounds for clemency as he had assisted Singapore authorities by providing critical information about one Anand, who is believed to be the mastermind who had duped Pannir into carrying a package to Singapore. Anand is believed to be in Malaysia and still active in the drug trade.

“Pannir was also unreasonably denied the certificate of assistance by the public prosecutor despite the information he had supplied on Anand. The certificate would have enabled the court to pass a sentence of life imprisonment instead of death,” he said.

Surendran urged Putrajaya to make strong representations to Singapore for the execution to be halted, and for the sentence to be commuted to imprisonment.

“This is particularly so as the Malaysian government has announced that the death penalty for drug offences in Malaysia will be abolished.” – May 18, 2019.