Singaporean deported from Thailand to face drug trafficking charge to be released after charge withdrawn
Benny Kee Soon Chuan was granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal, which gives the prosecution room to reopen the case if fresh evidence emerges.
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SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man who was deported from Thailand to face a capital drug charge here will be released from remand after the prosecution applied for a discharge not amounting to acquittal.
Such a discharge allows the prosecution to reopen the case under the same charge if new evidence emerges.
Benny Kee Soon Chuan, 32, was charged last year with conspiring with Low En Quan Justin to traffic methamphetamine sometime in early December 2020, when Kee was not in Singapore.
The alleged conspiracy involved a parcel that had entered Singapore containing at least 2kg of meth meant for delivery to a "Senthil Kumar" at a shop in Orchard Towers.
Kee was accused of directing Low to collect the parcel at the shop, with Low picking it up on Dec 2, 2020.
Low was given a capital charge which was later amended. He pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to traffic at least 249.99g of meth, and was given 22-and-a-half years' jail and 15 strokes of the cane.
According to a previous statement by the Central Narcotics Bureau, Kee was allegedly linked both to Low's case and another drug trafficking case in November 2022.
Kee was at large for several years, with immigration records showing that he was out of Singapore since April 2016, CNB said.
Kee was arrested by Thai authorities in September last year and deported to Singapore that same month.
Thai media reported that Kee was "living in luxury" in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok.
The penalty for conspiring to traffic in a Class A controlled drug is death.
However, on Monday (Sep 8), the prosecution applied for the charge to be given a discharge not amounting to acquittal.
Asked why this happened, Kee's lawyer, Mr Ramesh Tiwary, told CNA that his client "is innocent".
He said Kee is likely to be released from remand on Monday and is "very grateful to be reunited with his family".
Kee has been remanded for more than 11 months since September last year.
CNA has contacted the Attorney-General's Chambers on why they sought a discharge not amounting to acquittal.
