The Singapore Court of Appeal has ordered Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) to pay legal costs of S$1,000 (RM3,200) for “abusing” the court process in the course of its attempts to halt the execution of two drug traffickers, including Malaysian Pausi Jefridin.
The court ruled that the Malaysian legal rights group had abused the system in filing a criminal motion seeking a review of an earlier decision to uphold the death sentences meted out to Pausi and Singaporean Roslan Bakar, according to the Straits Times.
The procedure was “not there to be used by private organisations for their own purposes”, the court said, adding that LFL’s purpose in teaming up with Pausi and Roslan to become an applicant was intended to “obtain publicity for its abolitionist aims”, referring to the group’s campaign against the death penalty.
The court ruled that the motion filed by the duo and LFL resulted in the Singaporean attorney-general incurring unnecessary costs in both proceedings.
Lawyer Charles Yeo who represented Pausi and Roslan was also ordered to pay S$4,000 in costs to the attorney-general.
The two men were arrested in 2008 and sentenced to death two years later on drug trafficking charges. They were originally scheduled to be hanged on Feb 16, but this was delayed when Yeo filed a criminal motion seeking a review of the apex court’s decision.
The review was dismissed on Feb 15 and Yeo then filed a civil application to start judicial review proceedings to declare that the death sentences were unconstitutional, but this was dismissed the following day.
The executions have since been temporarily halted as Singapore President Halimah Yacob issued a respite order.
Section 313(h) of the Singapore Criminal Procedure Code allows the president to order a respite for execution and later appoint another time or place for the execution.
LFL previously raised concerns that Pausi has an IQ of only 67. However, diminished intellectual capacity did not ultimately save the life of another Malaysian - Nagaenthran Dharmalingam - who was found guilty of drug trafficking and executed on April 27. - Mkini
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