Virgin’s Richard Branson joins calls urging Singapore not to hang man over 1kg of cannabis
- Tangaraju Suppiah is expected to be hanged on Wednesday for a conviction of ‘abetting by engaging in a conspiracy to traffic’ 1,017.9 grams of cannabis
- UK billionaire Branson said the case against Tangaraju was ‘circumstantial’ and that Singapore ‘may be about to kill an innocent man’
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“Tangaraju was actually not anywhere near these drugs at the time of his arrest. This was largely a circumstantial case that relied on inferences,” Branson, who is a member of the Geneva-based Global Commission on Drug Policy, wrote on his blog.
“Killing those at the lowest rungs of the illicit drug supply chain … is hardly effective in curbing an international trade worth hundreds of billions every year,” he said, adding that he hoped authorities would review the case.
Singapore slams Branson over death penalty critique; UN urges against execution
The Asian financial hub has some of the world’s toughest anti-narcotics laws and insists the death penalty remains an effective deterrent against trafficking.
Tangaraju was convicted in 2017 of “abetting by engaging in a conspiracy to traffic” 1,017.9 grams (35.9 ounces) of cannabis, twice the minimum amount that merits the death sentence under the city state’s tough drug laws.
Singapore is an otherwise wonderful country, so it’s very sad to see some of its policies harking back to colonialism
He was sentenced to death in 2018 and the Court of Appeal has upheld his sentence.
Tangaraju’s family on Sunday also pleaded for clemency and urged a retrial.
If carried out, it will be Singapore’s first execution in six months and the 12th since last year.
“Singapore is an otherwise wonderful country, so it’s very sad to see some of its policies harking back to colonialism, and even reminiscent of medieval times,” Branson said.
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Branson and rights groups say Tangaraju never handled the drugs himself.
Prosecutors have said two mobile phone numbers he owned were used as contacts.
Singapore resumed executions in March 2022 after a hiatus of more than two years.
