Three Indian nationals accused of drug trafficking aboard a Singapore-flagged vessel who’ve been detained in Indonesia since July 2024, face the loss of life penalty, a media report mentioned on Friday.
Raju Muthukumaran, 38, Selvadurai Dinakaran, 34, and Govindhasamy Vimalkandhan, 45, who’ve been working within the transport trade in Singapore, had been arrested for allegedly smuggling 106 kg of crystal meth aboard the Legend Aquarius cargo vessel. All of them hail from Tamil Nadu.
Appearing on a tip-off, Indonesian authorities intercepted the vessel within the Pongkar waters of Karimun district, about an hour from Singapore by ferry.
The trio confronted a serious setback on March 14 when the vessel captain, who was ordered to testify in individual, failed to seem in court docket, reported Singapore’s Friday weekly Tabla!
In response to the testimony, the court docket summoned the captain to testify in individual on March 14. Nonetheless, he solely appeared briefly by way of Zoom, stopping cross-examination by the defence.
The defence workforce insists that the captain’s testimony is essential to establishing their purchasers’ innocence.
Prosecutors have demanded the loss of life penalty, the utmost sentence below Indonesian regulation.
The trio are represented by Indian lawyer John Paul, managing accomplice of Indian regulation agency South Asia Lex Authorized Providers (SAL). Based on a LinkedIn put up, Paul is from Tamil Nadu.
The defence workforce, additionally led by an Indonesian agency Bambang Supriadi & Companions, argues that the costs are false.
Paul added: “We’re targeted on presenting a strong defence and highlighting the inconsistencies within the prosecution’s case.”
To strengthen their argument, the defence introduced retired Indonesian Navy officer and worldwide maritime regulation professional Soleman B. Ponto as a mitigating witness, in line with the Tabla!.
On February 25, Soleman testified that below Indonesian regulation the ship’s captain holds sole duty for all cargo on board.
The defence contends that it’s extremely unlikely for such a big amount of medication to be smuggled with out the captain’s data.
“We firmly consider that the precise perpetrators have been let loose,” mentioned defence lawyer Yan Apridho.
“The case is below trial and essential defence proof, together with professional witness testimonies, is being introduced to determine the innocence of the three detained Indian nationals,” mentioned Yan. “The absence of the captain’s proof has raised questions concerning the prosecution’s case.”
The trial is ongoing, and a verdict is predicted on April 15.
At a press convention in Batam on July 17, 2024, Indonesian Nationwide Narcotic Company chief Marthinus Hukom alleged that the three had been the drug house owners and had commissioned the journey.
