Old man Tang sentenced 1 day and SGD17,000 only for trying to buy kidney while the seller gets 3 weeks jail !!?? Surely the Legislative Unit is biased man....
And who is this stupid woman Dr Jannie Tay, saying he did not hurt anyone? If she got choice she also would sell her kidney issit?-------------------
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s retail magnate Tang Wee Sung, 55, was jailed for one day on Wednesday and fined a total of S$17,000 for agreeing to buy a kidney illegally and lying to the Commissioner of Oaths.
About 10 family members and his lawyer were present when he was freed.
Tang had pleaded guilty to two of three charges a week ago. The first charge was for agreeing to buy a kidney for about S$300,000 and the other, for lying to the Commissioner of Oaths.
The third charge — of lying to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital’s Transplant Ethics Committee — was taken into consideration during sentencing.
For the past weeks, Tang’s walk to the courts had been deliberate due to his medical condition. It was no different earlier Wednesday, and his deteriorating health from end—stage renal failure was one reason why the district judge did not give him a long jail term.
In fact, Tang asked to be seated in the middle of the sentencing because of his poor health.
District Judge Ng Peng Hong explained why one day in jail would be sufficient for Tang. First, his ill health — Tang is undergoing daily dialysis and his health could be further aggravated in jail.
District Judge Ng said: "Incarceration itself would most likely have very much harsher consequences for him than what is intended for the ordinary offender."
But he stressed that Tang’s offences are "serious in nature" and the sentence should reflect that.
The judge added that the "weight of culpability in this case lies not with the desperate and dying, but more with the dealers or middlemen who seek to profit from the desperation of the poor as well as the desperation of the terminally ill."
So he said "the need for retributive justice should be reserved for the middlemen and not for the desperately and terminally ill."
Last Wednesday, Tang’s lawyer Cavinder Bull urged the judge to impose a fine for the organ—trading charge. For the second charge of lying to the Commissioner of Oaths, Mr Bull said at most a one—day jail sentence would be appropriate.
Mr Bull laid out factors to convince the judge why Tang should not go to jail. He said Tang was driven by pure desperation to commit the offence as he suffers not just from end—stage renal failure but other medical problems such as diabetes and coronary artery disease.
Mr Bull said Tang also had no intention to exploit the poor and socially disadvantaged and that he never received a kidney in the end.
On the prosecution’s part, it had called for a fine of S$10,000 for the first charge and a "very short" jail sentence for the second.
On Wednesday, Mr Bull described the judgement as a "learned" one. "I guess from the defence point of view, we’re very gratified that he (judge) has accepted our submissions on judicial mercy as has been defined by the High Court," he added.
Mr Bull went on to say: "It’s still a conviction, he (Tang) is going into prison and that takes its toll on him. He obviously is going to be relieved that it’s (jail term) not longer than what he (would have) gotten, but I would not underestimate the impact of the sentence on him."
Mr Bull also called the decision a fair one and has no plans to file any appeals.
Tang’s family and friends, a total of about 50 of them, packed the courtroom for the 45—minute sentencing. When they came out, some were seen wiping away their tears.
Reactions were mixed on whether Tang should even have been sent to jail for one day.
Dr Jannie Tay, president of Singapore Retailers Association, said: "For the last three years, he was very sick, and was waiting for this (kidney) match. And finally it happened, he’s just being caught at the wrong time.
"He’s done everything he could, he’s been a good man, he’s not hurt anyone, he thought that was the right process and even (a) one—day sentence, he should never have gotten (it)."
Keith Chua, a childhood friend of Tang, said: "We’re relieved that the court has been merciful in addressing the case. Even though it may seem like a short sentence of one day, knowing his condition, we still remain concerned for him."
The two Indonesian men involved in the kidney—for—sale case were sentenced to jail and fined on July 3.
Sulaiman Damanik, 26, who agreed to sell his kidney to Tang was sentenced to two weeks in jail and fined S$1,000. As he could not pay the fine, he was jailed for another one week.
The middleman, Wang Chin Sing — who brokered the deal between Tang and Sulaiman — will be sentenced on Friday.
He pleaded guilty to five charges related to this case. The charges include how 44—year—old Wang had coached Tang and Sulaiman to lie to the Commissioner of Oaths and the hospital’s Ethics Committee.
And who is this stupid woman Dr Jannie Tay, saying he did not hurt anyone? If she got choice she also would sell her kidney issit?-------------------
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s retail magnate Tang Wee Sung, 55, was jailed for one day on Wednesday and fined a total of S$17,000 for agreeing to buy a kidney illegally and lying to the Commissioner of Oaths.
About 10 family members and his lawyer were present when he was freed.
Tang had pleaded guilty to two of three charges a week ago. The first charge was for agreeing to buy a kidney for about S$300,000 and the other, for lying to the Commissioner of Oaths.
The third charge — of lying to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital’s Transplant Ethics Committee — was taken into consideration during sentencing.
For the past weeks, Tang’s walk to the courts had been deliberate due to his medical condition. It was no different earlier Wednesday, and his deteriorating health from end—stage renal failure was one reason why the district judge did not give him a long jail term.
In fact, Tang asked to be seated in the middle of the sentencing because of his poor health.
District Judge Ng Peng Hong explained why one day in jail would be sufficient for Tang. First, his ill health — Tang is undergoing daily dialysis and his health could be further aggravated in jail.
District Judge Ng said: "Incarceration itself would most likely have very much harsher consequences for him than what is intended for the ordinary offender."
But he stressed that Tang’s offences are "serious in nature" and the sentence should reflect that.
The judge added that the "weight of culpability in this case lies not with the desperate and dying, but more with the dealers or middlemen who seek to profit from the desperation of the poor as well as the desperation of the terminally ill."
So he said "the need for retributive justice should be reserved for the middlemen and not for the desperately and terminally ill."
Last Wednesday, Tang’s lawyer Cavinder Bull urged the judge to impose a fine for the organ—trading charge. For the second charge of lying to the Commissioner of Oaths, Mr Bull said at most a one—day jail sentence would be appropriate.
Mr Bull laid out factors to convince the judge why Tang should not go to jail. He said Tang was driven by pure desperation to commit the offence as he suffers not just from end—stage renal failure but other medical problems such as diabetes and coronary artery disease.
Mr Bull said Tang also had no intention to exploit the poor and socially disadvantaged and that he never received a kidney in the end.
On the prosecution’s part, it had called for a fine of S$10,000 for the first charge and a "very short" jail sentence for the second.
On Wednesday, Mr Bull described the judgement as a "learned" one. "I guess from the defence point of view, we’re very gratified that he (judge) has accepted our submissions on judicial mercy as has been defined by the High Court," he added.
Mr Bull went on to say: "It’s still a conviction, he (Tang) is going into prison and that takes its toll on him. He obviously is going to be relieved that it’s (jail term) not longer than what he (would have) gotten, but I would not underestimate the impact of the sentence on him."
Mr Bull also called the decision a fair one and has no plans to file any appeals.
Tang’s family and friends, a total of about 50 of them, packed the courtroom for the 45—minute sentencing. When they came out, some were seen wiping away their tears.
Reactions were mixed on whether Tang should even have been sent to jail for one day.
Dr Jannie Tay, president of Singapore Retailers Association, said: "For the last three years, he was very sick, and was waiting for this (kidney) match. And finally it happened, he’s just being caught at the wrong time.
"He’s done everything he could, he’s been a good man, he’s not hurt anyone, he thought that was the right process and even (a) one—day sentence, he should never have gotten (it)."
Keith Chua, a childhood friend of Tang, said: "We’re relieved that the court has been merciful in addressing the case. Even though it may seem like a short sentence of one day, knowing his condition, we still remain concerned for him."
The two Indonesian men involved in the kidney—for—sale case were sentenced to jail and fined on July 3.
Sulaiman Damanik, 26, who agreed to sell his kidney to Tang was sentenced to two weeks in jail and fined S$1,000. As he could not pay the fine, he was jailed for another one week.
The middleman, Wang Chin Sing — who brokered the deal between Tang and Sulaiman — will be sentenced on Friday.
He pleaded guilty to five charges related to this case. The charges include how 44—year—old Wang had coached Tang and Sulaiman to lie to the Commissioner of Oaths and the hospital’s Ethics Committee.
