KUALA LUMPUR: A Singapore man was handed a five year jail sentence on Tuesday by the country's High Court in a move seen by some rights groups and activists as a sign Singapore could be ending its death sentences against drug crimes. 58-year-old Tan Cheok Kwe plead guilty to the charges of possessing more than 5,000 grams in the form of over one million Eramin 5 pills two years ago. Earlier, Tan's lawyer Naran Singh made known to the court his client's willingness to serve the maximum sentence under Section 12 (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carried a jail term of not more than five years, fines of not more than RM100,000 or both. He also appealed to the court to consider setting the date of sentencing to begin from the date of arrest. He pointed out that initially, his client had been charged under Section 39B (1)a of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carried the death sentence penalty. “The accused has shown cooperation by pleading guilty and therefore saving the court's time and cost in holding a trial,” he said. Deputy public prosecutor Aiza Khairuddin however, pushed for a more detterent sentence. In making his decision, Judge Datuk Zainal Adzam Abd Ghani said the most prominent factor in the case was the large amount of drugs involved. “It is evident that the accused had meticulously planned to hide the drugs andreap profits from its distribution. “The accused is lucky to have been offered an alternative charge instead of the initial charge which carries the death penalty,” he said. Zainal then sentenced Tan to serve starting from the date of arrest, which was August 19, 2010.
