A Singaporean man who was previously sentenced to death for drug trafficking has been granted a rare presidential pardon, and his sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment.
According to The Straits Times, 33-year-old Singaporean Tristan Tan Yi Rui (transliteration) was convicted of, with intent to traffic, unlawfully possessing not less than 337.6 grams of methamphetamine (Ice). Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, trafficking more than 250 grams of methamphetamine is punishable by death. The Court of Appeal had previously upheld Tan Yi Rui’s conviction and death sentence.
In response to queries from The Straits Times on the 15th, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that the President, acting on the advice of the Cabinet, exercised the power of pardon for a man who was originally awaiting execution, commuting his punishment to life imprisonment.
The Ministry of Home Affairs pointed out that the Cabinet had received legal advice confirming that Tan Yi Rui’s sentence was legally in order. However, in view of the “specific facts and circumstances” of the case, the Cabinet recommended he be granted clemency.
Tan Yi Rui was arrested along with several other suspects in a Central Narcotics Bureau operation, with one of the others tried separately. That co-accused, who also faced a capital charge, ultimately was not sentenced to death. The Cabinet therefore decided to recommend that the President grant clemency to Tan Yi Rui, in order to reduce the disparity between the sentences of these two individuals.
The Ministry of Home Affairs emphasized that the power of pardon is a special executive authority and is considered an “act of administrative grace.” The Constitution empowers the President, acting on the advice of the Cabinet, to grant pardons, reprieves, or respites, or to remit all or part of punishments, fines, or forfeitures. In cases of inmates awaiting execution, the death penalty may be commuted to imprisonment, fines, or both.
This is believed to be the first presidential pardon granted to a death row inmate in Singapore since 1998. In 1998, the late President Ong Teng Cheong commuted the death sentence of Mathavakannan Kalimuthu, who had been convicted of murder, to life imprisonment. Mathavakannan was released in 2012 after serving about 16 years in prison.