Singapore drops drug trafficking charge vs Australian
Lawyer Hamidul Haq told AFP he had written to the attorney-general's office arguing that the journalist, Peter Lloyd, is not a drug trafficker.
"The attorney general considered all the circumstances and after due process, they decided to withdraw the trafficking charge against Peter," he said after a pre-trial conference held behind closed doors. "He does not face any trafficking charge now." Hamidul said the trafficking charge was the most serious levelled against Lloyd, the South Asia bureau chief of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation who was arrested while on holiday in Singapore on July 16. Lloyd, who is out on bail, could have faced between five and 20 years behind bars and five to 15 strokes of the cane on conviction for trafficking. He still faces one charge of being in possession of methamphetamine, also known as "ice", another charge of consuming the stimulant, and two charges of possessing drug paraphernalia stained with methamphetamine and ketamine. Ketamine is an anaesthetic which has become common at dance parties, police say. Hamidul said Lloyd has expressed remorse and will plead guilty to some of the charges. He will be sentenced on December 2. The consumption charge carries a jail term of 10 years, a 20,000 Singapore dollar fine (about 13,400 US dollars), or both. The other charges are less serious.
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</noscript>Lloyd, Australian Broadcasting Corp's South Asia correspondent, could have been jailed for five to 20 years and given five to 15 strokes of the cane had he been found guilty of the trafficking charge. "After due consideration they've decided to withdraw the trafficking charge against my client. So he is not going to face any trafficking charge as such," said Peter Lloyd's lawyer Hamidul Haq. "In respect of other charges that Peter faces, he is remorseful about them and he would be taking a plea of guilt for some of these charges," he told reporters outside the court. Haq did not comment on why the Singapore attorney general changed his mind. Sentencing will be on December 2, he said. New Delhi-based Lloyd was arrested while on holiday in Singapore on July 16 and charged with possessing and selling about 1 gram of methamphetamine. He also faces additional charges that include one count of consumption of methamphetamine without authorisation. Singapore drug laws are among the world's toughest and anyone caught carrying more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine, 500 grams of cannabis or 250 grams of methamphetamine faces a mandatory death sentence by hanging. In 2005, Australian drug smuggler Tuong Van Nguyen, 25, was hanged in Singapore after he was convicted of smuggling 400 grams of heroin from Cambodia through Singapore's Changi airport in 2002. (Reporting by Vivek Prakash and Pedja Stanisic; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
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Trafficking charge dropped against Australian journalist: lawyer
<cite>AFP - 2 hours 51 minutes ago</cite> SINGAPORE (AFP) - - Singapore's attorney-general has withdrawn a drug trafficking charge against an Australian television reporter, but he still faces four lesser charges, his lawyer said Tuesday. More »
Lawyer Hamidul Haq told AFP he had written to the attorney-general's office arguing that the journalist, Peter Lloyd, is not a drug trafficker.
"The attorney general considered all the circumstances and after due process, they decided to withdraw the trafficking charge against Peter," he said after a pre-trial conference held behind closed doors. "He does not face any trafficking charge now." Hamidul said the trafficking charge was the most serious levelled against Lloyd, the South Asia bureau chief of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation who was arrested while on holiday in Singapore on July 16. Lloyd, who is out on bail, could have faced between five and 20 years behind bars and five to 15 strokes of the cane on conviction for trafficking. He still faces one charge of being in possession of methamphetamine, also known as "ice", another charge of consuming the stimulant, and two charges of possessing drug paraphernalia stained with methamphetamine and ketamine. Ketamine is an anaesthetic which has become common at dance parties, police say. Hamidul said Lloyd has expressed remorse and will plead guilty to some of the charges. He will be sentenced on December 2. The consumption charge carries a jail term of 10 years, a 20,000 Singapore dollar fine (about 13,400 US dollars), or both. The other charges are less serious.
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