No-caning assurance meant StanChart robbery suspect could be brought back to face trial: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE — It was a “fairly obvious” decision between letting Standard Chartered (StanChart) bank robbery suspect David Roach “go off scot-free”, or extraditing him back to Singapore to face trial on the condition that he would not be caned as requested by United Kingdom authorities, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Thursday (Feb 22).

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a visit to Police Cantonment Complex, Mr Shanmugam said he felt that the “vast majority of people understand what’s been happening in the case”.

There are certain punishments imposed by different countries — such as caning and the death penalty — which extraditing countries may not agree with or do not exist in their jurisdictions, he noted.

“In the UK, there’s no corporal punishment, so they will not extradite to a country that has corporal punishment… So then you have a choice: you can either say, ‘Okay I will not give the undertaking’, in which case he will not be extradited and he will go off to lead his life in Canada or wherever else,” said Mr Shanmugam. “Or we can say we will give the undertaking not to cane, but he will come back to face all the other punishments if he is convicted.”

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the Singapore Government has assured its UK counterparts that Roach, a Canadian national, will not be caned if he is extradited to Singapore and found guilty of his crimes. “The Singapore Government has agreed to the UK authorities’ request. UK extradition laws prohibit UK from extraditing Roach to Singapore in the absence of such an assurance,” the ministry said.

On July 7, 2016, Roach, 28, allegedly made off with S$30,000 from StanChart’s Holland Village branch. The Canadian fled to Bangkok, Thailand on the same day and was arrested in a backpackers’ hostel three days later for smuggling his loot into Thailand.

Thai authorities rejected Singapore’s request to extradite Roach to face charges here, and decided to deport him to Canada in January after his release from jail.

On Jan 11, Roach was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport by British police, following a request from Singapore authorities. The Republic has an extradition treaty with Britain, but not with Thailand.

Singapore is seeking the extradition of Roach — who told a court in London earlier this month that he is contesting the proceedings — on one count of robbery and another count of money laundering. Both offences carry maximum imprisonment terms of 10 years, said the MHA. Under Section 392 of Singapore’s Penal Code, a person convicted of robbery can be jailed up to 10 years and faces at least six strokes of the cane.