Police deny allegations US engineer's death not properly investigated

[winnipegjets]

Mr Cheam said Dr Todd's mother, Mrs Mary Todd, was very emotional and was in the bedroom with the rest of the family and the police.

He said he heard her asking people what the officer was trying to tell her - which prompted Senior State Counsel Tai Wei Shyong to ask if it was Mr Cheam's impression that Mrs Todd did not understand what the police officer was saying.

Objection, your honour! This line of questioning is leading the witness. Overrule. This is sinkapore. State Counsel has full latitude to do as he pleases. It is important that the verdict is Suicide and I must not impede the State Counsel in any way.

 

[ShangTsung]

US scientist's body could be exhumed

Singapore police admit not following protocol when inspecting Shane Todd's flat as they thought his death was a suicide.

Last Modified: 27 May 2013 15:32

Rick and Mary Todd maintain that their son did not commit suicide [Reuters]

The body of an American scientist found hanged in Singapore last year my be exhumed as part of an ongoing campaign by his family to prove he was murdered.

Rick Todd, the father of 31-year-old electronics researcher Shane Todd, made the announcement in a written statement that was read on Monday.

Earlier in the week Todd's parents and brothers had walked out of the hearing saying they had lost faith in the process, but left behind statements for the inquest.

The Singapore state coroner's verdict on whether Todd killed himself or was murdered, as his family maintains, will be read in open court on July 8, officials said.

Airline pilot Rick Todd said he was convinced a second autopsy would shed light on the investigation.

'Not suicide'

"Based on my investigations, I believed that Shane did not commit suicide," the statement said.

"I am now convinced that a second autopsy should have been done and I have to consider obtaining an opinion from another expert who can come to Singapore to testify or to have Shane's body exhumed."

Shane Todd's body was found on June 24, 2012 in his Singapore apartment by his girlfriend. He was preparing to return to the United States after a stint with a state-linked Singapore research institute.

Singapore police who examined Todd's flat after his death on Monday admitted that they deviated from official protocols by not dusting for fingerprints or collecting DNA samples, and by examining the contents of a laptop computer there.

Asked at the inquest why police did not fully investigate the apartment, Sergeant Muhammad Khaldun Bin Sarif said he had made a preliminary assessment that pointed to suicide and determined there were no signs of foul play.

Todd's parents say that their son feared he was being made to compromise US national security as part of a secret project involving a Chinese telecoms firm accused of international espionage.

Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics and China's Huawei Technologies, which last year was labelled as a potential security threat to the US, said they only held preliminary talks on a potential project with commercial applications, but did not proceed.

Thai forensics

Rick Todd, who worked in a family-owned mortuary in Pomona, California before becoming a commercial pilot, said he sought the opinion of a prominent Thai forensic pathologist, Porntip Rojanasunan, earlier this month in a conference call.

He said family lawyer Peter Ong met Porntip and she was shown the autopsy report, photographs taken at the Singapore apartment and mortuary, and pictures of the body lying in a casket during a US memorial service.

Gloria James-Civetta, the head of a team of five lawyers who represented the Todds before they abandoned the inquiry, said the idea of having the body exhumed for a second autopsy was suggested by Porntip.

The Thai forensics expert denied she suggested a second autopsy, or speaking with Rick Todd.

"The lawyer is the one I talked to. I did not give any official consultation, because I only saw pictures, but I gave some opinions," Porntip told AFP in Bangkok.

"I did not advise a second autopsy. I said a second examination of a suspicious area of the body, in this case I meant the wrist, could be carried out."

Medical examiner Edward Adelstein, who was engaged by the Todd family, testified last week that the researcher may have been murdered by assassins, but two senior US pathologists backed Singapore's suicide report and rejected the murder scenario.

Other witnesses had described Todd, who had a history of depression, as showing signs of extreme stress before his death.

Source: Agencies

 

[scroobal]

Frankly they should exhume the body to bring some sort of closure hopefully for the parents. And it should be done by an American and not Porntip though respected is an Asian. If not they continue to think that Asians cannot do the job.

 

[winnipegjets]

Asked at the inquest why police did not fully investigate the apartment, Sergeant Muhammad Khaldun Bin Sarif said he had made a preliminary assessment that pointed to suicide and determined there were no signs of foul play.

What's a preliminary assessment? How long did it take? Anyone could coverup to make a murder look like a suicide and get away with it since our SPF is so quick in their assessment on determining a suicide scene.

Singapore police who examined Todd's flat after his death on Monday admitted that they deviated from official protocols by not dusting for fingerprints or collecting DNA samples, and by examining the contents of a laptop computer there.

Why not?

Gloria James-Civetta, the head of a team of five lawyers who represented the Todds before they abandoned the inquiry, said the idea of having the body exhumed for a second autopsy was suggested by Porntip.
The Thai forensics expert denied she suggested a second autopsy, or speaking with Rick Todd.
"The lawyer is the one I talked to. I did not give any official consultation, because I only saw pictures, but I gave some opinions," Porntip told AFP in Bangkok.
"I did not advise a second autopsy. I said a second examination of a suspicious area of the body, in this case I meant the wrist, could be carried out."

Is Scroobal going to pin this on the Todds as well? The lawyer misunderstood. But the point remained that Porntip does observed something that would warrant closer examination.

Other witnesses had described Todd, who had a history of depression, as showing signs of extreme stress before his death.

There were others who saw Todd happy. So, who is to be believed?

 

[Dreamer1]

Police Sgt. Muhammad Khaldun Bin Sarif was asked by government lawyers during the inquest as to why police had not ordered a further investigation of the apartment.
Bin Sarif said that he and his partner had made 'a preliminary assessment' that pointed to suicide and determined there were 'no signs of foul play.'
He said the officers decided as a result 'not to perform fingerprint dustings or DNA swabs.'
Asked why he had deviated from police protocols by assessing a personal laptop at a crime scene, Khaldun said he had found two notes in Todd's apartment, one of which contained a password which he used to gain access to the laptop nearby.

Suspicion: Shane Todd's parents think he could have been killed over his research into a technology with both civilian and military applications
Khaldun explained that the protocol was only 'a guideline which can be deviated from.'
He said he and his partner made an 'operational decision' to assess Todd's laptop because the note containing the password 'was left there for a reason' and would help police in determining whether there was foul play involved.
Todd's family has asked why police accessed his laptop and cellphone even though such items are supposed to be handed over to forensic technology specialists.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

 

[winnipegjets]

Dreamer1 - you post the same article on this thread and on the Shane Todd's cover-up thread. I replied to the latter thread. Can you post on the latter thread henceforth so that we have a single thread on the Shane Todd's coverup?

 

[StarshipTroopers]

Coroner's inquiry into Shane Todd's death wraps up

By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 28 May 2013 12:17 AM

An undated photo of Shane Todd. (AFP/Mary Todd)

SINGAPORE: After a 10-day hearing, the coroner's inquiry into the death of American researcher Shane Todd has wrapped up.

Among the last witnesses to take the stand was investigating officer Muhammad Khaldun Sarip.

He maintained that his preliminary assessment of the scene of Dr Todd's death showed no signs of foul play.

A verdict is expected in early July.

The inquiry started on May 13, with Dr Todd's parents eager to present their side of the story to the court.

But it was an emotional ride as the proceedings continued, and they chose to leave abruptly, saying that they would take their evidence to the court of public opinion.

They believe that their son was murdered because of his work at Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics.

But police have so far testified that they saw no signs of foul play at his Chinatown apartment, where he was found hanged.

On Monday, investigating officer Sergeant Muhammad Khaldun Sarif took the stand.

He addressed claims by Dr Todd's parents that he had given them a detailed description of how their son hanged himself, using nuts, bolts, and pulleys. But they saw no evidence of this when they visited his apartment.

Sergeant Muhammad Khaldun said he never told them such a thing and that there had been no mention of nuts, bolts and pulleys in the report on Dr Todd's death.

He added that there was no reason for him to say otherwise as there had been no evidence of this in photos of the scene, or from the accounts of other officers who were there.

Sergeant Muhammad Khaldun recalled a meeting at Dr Todd's apartment on 29 June last year where Dr Todd's mother, Mrs Mary Todd, had told him he mentioned nuts, bolts and pulleys at the first meeting at the Central Police Division.

He said he shook his head and repeated the description that was found in the unnatural death report. "She was in disbelief and emotional, I didn't want to agitate her," he added.

Sergeant Muhammad Khaldun pointed out that a notification of death containing the same details as the report he read to Dr Todd's parents had been extended to the US embassy.

He also explained that he made the decision to access Dr Todd's laptop - where suicide notes allegedly written by Dr Todd were found - and check his mobile phone, as he was looking for any useful information that could help in the investigations, but did not find anything suspicious.

Sergeant Muhammad Khaldun also testified that there appeared to be no forced entry or ransacking or struggle, and based on this preliminary assessment, no DNA swabs or fingerprint dusting were done at the scene.

And he said that Dr Todd's hard disk drive containing work files - which had been central to the murder claim - was accessed by him three days after Dr Todd's death and that he had returned it to Dr Todd's family.

Earlier Monday, Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, the executive director of IME, testified that Dr Todd was never forced to do anything that would compromise US national security or to obtain any restricted or classified information.

Dr Todd had never voiced such concerns to his supervisor or the management, said Professor Kwong.

He also pointed out that an alleged scientific recipe Dr Todd copied - which his family say put his life in danger - was in fact a formula identical to one in his doctorate thesis and had nothing to do with Gallium Nitride.

Dr Todd's family have alleged that Dr Todd was made to copy the "valuable recipe" while on a training stint in the US to learn to operate a tool that deposits Gallium Nitride on silicon wafers.

But Professor Kwong said the formula was "absolutely not" a recipe for the tool, and had nothing to do with Gallium Nitride.

The court heard on Monday that in her recorded statement, Mrs Mary Todd said her son had told her that he felt "extreme discomfort" from being asked by IME to collaborate with a Chinese company and that he was being asked to compromise US security. Dr Todd added that he felt his life was "in danger".

Professor Kwong said that the tool Dr Todd had been involved in purchasing was also available in China and came with the same scientific recipe.

Professor Kwong noted that all conditions in the tool's export licence had been complied with, as it was going to be put to commercial use.

In wrapping up the state's evidence, Senior State Counsel Tai Wei Shyong said that while it was regrettable that Dr Todd's family had withdrawn from the proceedings, that had not blunted the state's commitment to presenting their evidence and bringing all the facts to light.

The recorded statements of Dr Todd's parents were then read to the court in full.

State Coroner Chay Yuen Fatt will pay a visit to Dr Todd's Chinatown apartment where he was found hanged.

This was a point brought up by the Todd family's lawyers earlier in the inquiry.

He will do so before lawyers make their closing submissions on June 17, and deliver his findings on July 8.

- CNA/ir

 

[StarshipTroopers]

AP article on Todd's death "inaccurate, misleading and mischievous"

By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 30 May 2013 5:24 PM

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Ambassador to the United States, Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, has described a recent article by the Associated Press (AP) on American researcher Shane Todd's death as "inaccurate, misleading, and mischievous".

The report, titled "Singapore Police acknowledge violating protocols in investigation of American's death" dated May 27, was carried by some US media that included The Washington Post and CBS News.

In a letter, Mr Mirpuri said that the AP article "distorted" a police investigator's statement which was brought up during the coroner's inquiry into Dr Todd's death, which wrapped up on May 27.

Mr Mirpuri said the investigator, who was under oath, did not say he had violated any protocols, nor "admit" that he had done so.

He added that the article had also repeated assertions by Dr Todd's parents without reporting that these were contradicted by witnesses who gave evidence in court under oath.

For example, a hard disk drive belonging to Dr Todd that his parents say they found in his apartment, and which contained work files that were accessed three days after he was found hanged.

However, the police investigator had testified in court that he was the one who found the disk drive and accessed it to check for any suspicious information before returning it to the family.

The family sent the hard drive to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for analysis, and the FBI confirmed it was the same one that was returned to the family by the police.

In her written statement, Dr Todd's mother, Mrs Mary Todd, had said her son had told her that he felt "extreme discomfort" from being asked by Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics (IME) to collaborate with a Chinese company and that he was being asked to compromise US security.

Mr Mirpuri said the AP article referred to equipment Dr Todd was involved in purchasing for IME but that it omitted evidence from witnesses that several hundred sets of such equipment had in fact been sold by US companies to China.

Mr Mirpuri also noted that two US certified forensic pathologists had taken the stand to testify that they agreed with two Singapore pathologists that Dr Todd had died by hanging, and there was no evidence of a struggle.

Dr Todd's parents have maintained their son was murdered over his work at IME.

Mr Mirpuri said Singapore authorities remain fully committed to determining the cause of death.

He noted that a total of 73 witnesses gave evidence in the inquiry either on the stand, or in the form of written statements.

Singapore had also facilitated overseas witnesses that included a computer forensics expert engaged by Dr Todd's family to give evidence.

Mr Mirpuri added, "It is regrettable that the Todds did not take the witness stand. This would have helped resolve differences between their account and other witnesses' testimonies."

- CNA/fa

 

[winnipegjets]

The PAP clowns keep repeating their story. The nature of Shane Todd's death is a red herring. Let's get to the bottom of the issue - sinkapore's role in the transfer of US technology to China.

 

[Dreamer1]

SINGAPORE POLICE SAY PROTOCOLS FLOUTED IN US DEATH
BY HEATHER TAN
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...S_DEATH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

 

[winnipegjets]

The court heard on Monday that in her recorded statement, Mrs Mary Todd said her son had told her that he felt "extreme discomfort" from being asked by IME to collaborate with a Chinese company and that he was being asked to compromise US security. Dr Todd added that he felt his life was "in danger".

Professor Kwong said that the tool Dr Todd had been involved in purchasing was also available in China and came with the same scientific recipe.

Professor Kwong noted that all conditions in the tool's export licence had been complied with, as it was going to be put to commercial use.

Why didn't Kwong produce some proof from the manufacturer that this is true?

 

[Dreamer1]

Suicide and silicon: why would anyone want to kill an American engineer in Singapore?
http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/11/4209650/why-would-anyone-want-to-kill-shane-todd

 

[Dreamer1]

Red China mole Controls USA Technology Transfers
This article exposes the links to this evil and the man that now controls the green light on the export of dual use and sensitive technology to the Red Serpent whose philosophy towards Christ is to "strangle the baby in the manger".
http://holyspiritvictorious4ever.blogspot.sg/2010/01/red-china-mole-controls-usa-technology.html

 

[Dreamer1]

https://www.hidden-advent.org/en/

 

[ShangTsung]

Shane Todd's parents issue open letter to "media outlets and elected officials"

By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 05 Jun 2013 7:52 PM

This undated handout photo made available to AFP shows Shane Todd, a researcher who died in Singapore in June 2012. (AFP PHOTO/Courtesy of MARY TODD)Shane Todd's living room (Photo: Singapore Police Force)

SINGAPORE: The parents of American researcher Shane Todd have issued an open letter to "media outlets and elected officials" regarding the death of their son.

It contains documents and photographs, making public for the first time pictures of Dr Todd's room and the marks around his neck.

Among the recipients of the letter was the legislative director of a US Congressman.

Dr Todd was found hanged in his Chinatown apartment in June 2012.

His parents argue that their son was murdered because of his work on a highly-sensitive project between his former employer, the Institute of Microelectronics (IME), and Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

A coroner's inquiry into Dr Todd's death wrapped up on May 27.

His family had walked out of the inquiry before it concluded, saying they would take their evidence and turn to the "Court of Public Opinion".

During the inquiry, police officers said they saw no signs of foul play when they arrived at the scene, while forensic pathologists said that Dr Todd's death was consistent with hanging, and not strangulation with a wire or cord.

Closing submissions are scheduled for June 17, and State Coroner Chay Yuen Fatt will deliver his findings on July 8.

- CNA/ms

 

[General Veers]

"Conspicuous absence" of evidence to support theory that Shane Todd was murdered

By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 17 Jun 2013 1:22 PM

Singapore Subordinate Courts (Photo: Anthony Chia, channelnewsasia.com)

SINGAPORE: There is a "conspicuous absence" of any evidence to support the theory that American researcher Shane Todd was murdered, said Senior State Counsel Tai Wei Shyong on Monday as he wrapped up the state's closing submissions in a coroner's inquiry into Dr Todd's death.

Dr Todd, 31, was found hanged in his Chinatown apartment in June last year. His parents alleged that he was murdered over research he had done while working for Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics.

The family had walked out midway of the Coroner's Inquiry into his death, saying they had "lost faith" in the proceedings. They also questioned the professionalism of the police and the findings of independent experts from the Health Sciences Authority.

In court on Monday, Mr Tai submitted that because of the "overwhelming evidence pointing inexorably towards suicide", the homicide theory put forward by Dr Todd's parents is "entirely misplaced and unfounded".

"The conspicuous absence of any evidence to support the Next-of-Kin's homicide theory must be viewed in juxtaposition with the overwhelming evidence pointing inexorably towards suicide," he said.

Mr Tai took the court through a summary of evidence that was presented in court by various witnesses over the 10-day hearing in May.

This included evidence that there were no signs of forced entry or foul play when police officers arrived at Dr Todd's apartment, that his death was consistent with asphyxia due to hanging, that he could have hanged himself in the position he was found without assistance, that he had been diagnosed with major depressive order before his death, that suicide notes had been created, and suicide-related websites accessed on his laptop.

Dr Todd's parents had said he told them he believed his life was in danger.

Mr Tai pointed out that evidence from psychiatrist Nelson Lee suggests that in the months leading to his death, Dr Todd might have exaggerated problems and issues he was facing as a result of his depression and anxiety.

There was also no evidence to show that Dr Todd made efforts to protect his own safety such as by contacting the US Embassy or the police.

Mr Tai also addressed evidence presented by two expert witnesses engaged by the Todd family.

One of them - medical examiner Dr Edward Adelstein - had initially given the opinion that Dr Todd was strangled by a wire or cord.

Mr Tai pointed out that Dr Adelstein had not seen the 16 autopsy photographs when he made the assessment, and had testified that he formed his view based on "speculation without any proof".

Although Dr Adlestein retracted his initial opinion, he put forward hypotheses that Dr Todd could have been killed by a taser or neck chokehold.

"He offered no medical evidence to support these hypotheses," said Mr Tai, adding that two other US forensic pathologists had dismissed these theories.

Mr Tai noted that all evidence provided by Dr Todd's family had been presented by the state.

"No assumptions were made by the state as to the cause of, or circumstances surrounding Shane's death," he added.

A total of 73 witnesses gave evidence for the inquiry, with 44 of them taking the stand during last month's hearing.

State Coroner Chay Yuen Fatt will deliver his findings on July 8.

- CNA/fa/jc

 

[winnipegjets]

Mr Tai took the court through a summary of evidence that was presented in court by various witnesses over the 10-day hearing in May.

This included evidence that there were no signs of forced entry or foul play when police officers arrived at Dr Todd's apartment, that his death was consistent with asphyxia due to hanging, that he could have hanged himself in the position he was found without assistance, that he had been diagnosed with major depressive order before his death, that suicide notes had been created, and suicide-related websites accessed on his laptop.

All the above could have been done by a killer. It doesn't prove anything.

Mr Tai pointed out that Dr Adelstein had not seen the 16 autopsy photographs when he made the assessment, and had testified that he formed his view based on "speculation without any proof".

Why didn't the sinkapore authorities provide this to the family if it was keen to allow all angles to be explored?

Mr Tai pointed out that evidence from psychiatrist Nelson Lee suggests that in the months leading to his death, Dr Todd might have exaggerated problems and issues he was facing as a result of his depression and anxiety.

But the psychiatrist also said that Shane Todd had NO suicidal ideation. And this was corroborated by Shane's girlfriend, another close friend as well as the family. Rather convenient for the state counsel to dismiss the other perspective. The state counsel has been directed to pursue one verdict and its closing summary is proof of that.

"No assumptions were made by the state as to the cause of, or circumstances surrounding Shane's death," he added.

But the hearings showed otherwise. The state counsel just explored the suicide angle and challenge every witness statement that could support murder.

Sinkapore has something to hide ...that's why it didn't want to explore the other possibility that Shane Todd could have been murder. To go that route would have led to lots of public airing of work done by IME for the Chinese and in the process, the illicit transfer of US technology to China would be revealed.

 

[ShangTsung]

State coroner rules Shane Todd committed suicide

By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 08 Jul 2013 9:59 AM

Singapore Subordinate Courts (Photo: Anthony Chia, channelnewsasia.com)

SINGAPORE: State Coroner Chay Yuen Fatt said he was satisfied that there was no foul play involved in American researcher Shane Todd's death.

He said that Dr Todd had, beyond reasonable doubt, committed suicide by hanging himself.

He summarised his findings in a 15-minute hearing on Monday.

The state coroner said that overwhelming evidence showed that Dr Todd had entertained suicidal ideations of increasing severity leading up to his death.

He noted that Dr Todd, who worked for Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics (IME), had faced great difficulty coping with his work after transferring to a new group. He was also unhappy with certain management decisions.

These factors, probably in part, or in whole, triggered a relapse of his previous history of depression.

The State Coroner also said that he placed greater weight on evidence given by pathologists who were put forward by the state as they had more experience and were more qualified than the family's expert witness, Dr Edward Adelstein.

The State Coroner said Dr Adelstein had shown himself to be an incredible and unreliable expert witness.

He also noted Dr Todd was not in possession of any classified information while working at IME, and that a project which Dr Todd's parents claim put his life in danger did not ever materialise.

This would therefore be inconsistent with possibility of foul play in his death.

The State Coroner also pointed out there was no reason to doubt the authenticity of evidence presented by state.

Four lawyers who represented the family during the inquiry were present in court and relayed the findings to them.

They said the family would be issuing a media statement once they have gone through the findings.

The State Coroner also extended his condolences to the Todd family and said it was evident Dr Todd was from a tight-knit family and had been loved by the people in his life. He hopes the family would be able to find closure.

In a statement, the United States Embassy in Singapore said the inquiry into Dr Todd's death was comprehensive, fair and transparent.

- CNA/fa

 

[ShangTsung]

Shane Todd's family to pursue case in US

By Malcolm Brown
POSTED: 08 Jul 2013 11:59 AM

Rick Todd (2nd R), his wife Mary (C), his son Chet (2nd L) and daughter-in-law Corynne (L) and the former girlfriend of the late Shane Todd, Shirley Sarmiento (R), arrive in court in Singapore on May 14, 2013. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)

MONTANA: There is no sign that the verdict into the death of Shane Todd, the young American electrical engineer found dead in his Singapore apartment, will end the controversy surrounding the case.

On Monday, Singapore's State Coroner Chay Yuen Fatt ruled that Dr Todd committed suicide and was not murdered as his family claims.

His family back in the United States is vowing to keep pursuing its position that he was murdered.

With the grandeur of its landscape of mountains, forests, lakes and waterways, Montana is sometimes called 'Big Sky Country'. It is a very long way from Singapore where Shane Todd died over a year ago.

For his family, neither distance nor the passage of time has diminished the desire to get to the bottom of what happened.

Dr Todd’s parents Mary and Rick Todd keep memories of their son alive, even as they fight to prove their case that he was murdered.

Instead, the Todds have assembled their own evidence, some of which they have circulated in an open letter to "media outlets and elected officials".

Among the supporting documents are photographs of their son's body, including his hands, which they say show signs of a struggle.

Underlying everything the family said is their vehement rejection of official findings that Shane Todd killed himself.

Meanwhile, the Todds try to live something like a normal life.

They point to their Christian faith and the church group which meets weekly on their property as sources of enormous support.

And, as they look to the future, the couple promises further evidence to come from the contents of their son's computer, which they found backed up on an external hard drive which they brought back home.

"The rest of the story will be told because there is a lot on that computer proving what we are contending here," said Mary Todd.

The Todds intend to wage a campaign to get American public opinion on their side. Several US lawmakers have already taken up the case but the family said that the national security implications are so serious that they plan to raise them with President Barack Obama personally.

- CNA/fa

 

[ShangTsung]

Shanmugam urges FT to correct inaccuracies

POSTED: 08 Jul 2013 4:45 PM

File photo: Foreign Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam (AFP photo)

SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam on Monday said he hopes the Financial Times (FT) would do the "honourable thing" and correct the inaccuracies it set out in its first article about American researcher Shane Todd's death.

This follows the State Coroner's verdict that Dr Todd had committed suicide by hanging himself.

He said that the journalist who wrote the article, Raymond Bonner, had "recycled untruths", and that he hoped FT would "set out the truth".

He said the conspiracy theory that Dr Todd had been murdered was based on three points -- one of which was "simply untrue", one was "pure imagination", and the last was "pure fantasy".

He was referring to the Todd family's allegations that someone had mysteriously accessed Dr Todd's computer and hard disk drive after he died, and that he had been garrotted.

Mr Shanmugam added that the family never explained how the untruths came about as they walked out of the proceedings before testifying.

In response to questions about the family calling the outcome pre-determined, Mr Shanmugam said: "There's no reason for the Attorney-General's Chambers to want any conclusion," adding that all evidence had been dealt with.

Pointing to a statement issued by the US Embassy which said that the process had been "fair and transparent", Mr Shanmugam added that US-Singapore ties would not be affected.

- CNA/jc