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SINGAPORE'S highest court on Friday dismissed the appeal of a condemned drug trafficker, saying that it was closing its doors to such challenges against the constitutionality of the mandatory death penalty.
The three-judge court, comprising Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong and Judges of Appeal Andrew Phang and V. K. Rajah, were handing down their decision on the case of Yong Vui Kong, a 22-year-old Malaysian sentenced to hang for trafficking heroin.
Delivering the verdict, CJ Chan observed that there have been many challenges before the courts regarding the constitutionality of the mandatory death penalty on various grounds in the past, which have all failed.
In the present case, he said, all possible arguments on this issue have been raised, considered by the court, and rejected.
'Further challenges in court on the constitutionality of the mandatory death penalty have been foreclosed by our decision in this appeal,' he said.
But Yong's lawyer, Mr M Ravi, is not giving up. He told reporters he plans to go to court again over comments made by Law Minister K. Shanmugam to his client's case at a dialogue session with Joo Chiat residents on Sunday.
Mr Ravi said if that fails, he will make arguments against the 'flawed' presidential clemency process.
The three-judge court, comprising Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong and Judges of Appeal Andrew Phang and V. K. Rajah, were handing down their decision on the case of Yong Vui Kong, a 22-year-old Malaysian sentenced to hang for trafficking heroin.
Delivering the verdict, CJ Chan observed that there have been many challenges before the courts regarding the constitutionality of the mandatory death penalty on various grounds in the past, which have all failed.
In the present case, he said, all possible arguments on this issue have been raised, considered by the court, and rejected.
'Further challenges in court on the constitutionality of the mandatory death penalty have been foreclosed by our decision in this appeal,' he said.
But Yong's lawyer, Mr M Ravi, is not giving up. He told reporters he plans to go to court again over comments made by Law Minister K. Shanmugam to his client's case at a dialogue session with Joo Chiat residents on Sunday.
Mr Ravi said if that fails, he will make arguments against the 'flawed' presidential clemency process.
