KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Ex-MCA president Tan Koon Swan should not have been prosecuted, said the man who originally brought criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges against Tan.
The Star reported today that former Singapore prosecutor Glenn Knight had apologised to Tan, recounting the circumstances of Tan’s wrongful indictment in his book “Glenn Knight: The Prosecutor.”
As first director of the Singapore Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), Knight prosecuted Tan who faced 15 charges that included share manipulation and CBT. This happened in 1985 after the collapse of Pan-El Industries, of which Tan was a director. Pan-El’s collapse resulted in a temporary halt of the Malaysia and Singapore stock exchanges.
Knight wrote in his book: “It was extremely painful for me to suddenly discover that the Singapore courts had got it wrong.” He was led to that conclusion after a 1996 judgement by Singapore Chief Justice Yong who said Tan was wrongfully charged. As Tan was a director for Pan-El, he could not be charged with “stealing” from the company.
“Chief Justice Yong concluded that it was wrong to convict anyone for stealing money if the wrong charge had been used to begin with. The judgment shattered my belief in our legal system,” wrote Knight.
The Star said Tan has declined to comment for now as the latter says he has not yet read Knight’s book.
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