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SINGAPORE - A man allegedly involved with trafficking at least 2kg of methamphetamine was charged on Sept 20 after he was deported from Thailand, where he was living, and handed over to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) the day before. Singaporean Benny Kee Soon Chuan, 31, who appeared in court via video link, was handed one charge of trafficking a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Offenders convicted of trafficking, importing or exporting more than 250g of methamphetamine may face the death penalty. During the hearing, the prosecution applied for Kee to be remanded for a week to allow investigators to conduct scene visits, trace his accomplices and establish the source of the drugs. According to court documents, Kee was allegedly outside Singapore when he engaged with a man named Justin Low En Quan in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, also known as Ice. On Dec 2, 2020, a parcel of 12 packets containing at least 2.9kg of a crystalline substance entered Singapore. The substance was said to contain at least 2kg of methamphetamine. Charge sheets stated that the parcel was to be delivered to a man, identified as Senthil Kumar, at a shop in Orchard Towers.     It further read that Kee allegedly directed Low to collect the parcel at the shop, intending for the latter to possess the 12 packets of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking. On Dec 2, 2020, between 3.40pm and 6.40pm, Low was said to have visited the shop and collected the parcel. In a statement on Sept 19, CNB said Kee’s alleged involvement was uncovered during investigations into two drug trafficking cases in December 2020 and November 2022. The offenders in these cases, a 21-year-old and a 29-year-old, were charged and convicted of trafficking substantial amounts of methamphetamine. The 21-year-old was sentenced to 22 years and six months’ jail with 15 strokes of the cane, while the 29-year-old was sentenced to eight years’ jail and seven strokes of the cane. An arrest warrant was issued against Kee for his suspected involvement in supplying drugs to associates in Singapore for subsequent trafficking and sale here, said CNB. Immigration records showed that Kee had left Singapore in April 2016. CNB reached out to its foreign counterparts for information on his whereabouts. On Sept 17, Kee was arrested by the authorities in Thailand. He was deported and handed over to CNB on Sept 19. Investigations into other members of the syndicate are ongoing. 

SINGAPORE: In the last instalment of a series of conversations organised by the Singapore Courts and local universities to engage the community, the Chief Justice touched on the challenges faced by those in legal practice, including the issue of young lawyers leaving the profession. In a survey recently conducted among applicants of this year's mass call, where lawyers are called to the bar en masse, around two-thirds of the 234 respondents said they were likely to move out of legal practice in the next five years. Slightly more than a third said they were likely to leave the legal profession altogether, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon revealed on Friday (Sep 20). He delivered these remarks in a speech marking the end of the SG Courts Conversations with the Community series, a joint effort by the Singapore Courts and the law faculties of the National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and the Singapore University of Social Sciences. More than 1,100 people - judges, lawyers, students, educators, public officers and specialists - have participated in the conversations since they began a year ago.  In his speech, the Chief Justice said the survey results are concerning not only because they represent the views of those just starting out in legal careers, but also because most of these responses appeared to be motivated by "push" rather than "pull" factors. "In particular, a significant proportion of respondents indicated that their present inclination to leave was influenced by excessive workload or poor work-life balance, and poor workplace culture," said Chief Justice Menon. He said this issue should be looked into "urgently", with a close watch kept on sustainable practices in "each of our workplaces". He suggested three broad components to be worked on: First, considering if there is an issue of mismatched expectations in the legal profession, and a generation gap that needs to be addressed urgently. "On the part of junior lawyers, it may need to be emphasised to them that a career in the law demands a considerable amount of hard work over the long haul, and especially in the formative years where there is undoubtedly a steep learning curve," he said. However, he added that senior lawyers need to be conveyed a message that workplace practices have evolved over the years, and there has "rightly been a shift" towards more sustainable and mindful practices which the profession as a whole should embrace. He said there must be mutual trust between law firms and their employees, with due regard for the "wellbeing of our junior colleagues coupled with the recognition that this need not impede effective performance". The second component is the development of concrete policies to ensure the implementation of sustainable workplace practices. The Ethics and Professional Standards Committee is set to release its final recommendations in due course, said the Chief Justice. The committee was established after a rise in disciplinary cases against lawyers, with the number of disciplinary violations going up from 2018 to 2022. The last component is on how to "more effectively communicate and instil the values that are foundational to our practice of law", which should be the main reason why lawyers enter the profession. The Chief Justice also spoke about access to justice - a long-standing challenge that has become more urgent with a "significant" component of court users now self-represented. "In this 'new normal', we must ensure that all parties, and especially self-represented persons, have a realistic opportunity to commence or defend a claim, and a fair shot at presenting their case, regardless of their resources or legal literacy," said Chief Justice Menon. "Our justice system must not become the exclusive preserve of a select few, because the sustainability of the legal process rests on a shared societal commitment to the rule of law, and this in turn requires the public to trust that the courts will deliver justice for all and especially for those most in need." Changes have already been made at the structural level, by simplifying procedural frameworks for certain types of cases. Two months ago, the High Court launched an Express Track scheme to facilitate the swift resolution of some civil matters that can be resolved within four days of trial. The Chief Justice ended his speech noting that the courts' responses to the challenges faced will "have a direct impact on the level of trust and confidence in our courts, the courts' legitimacy, and therefore the continued relevance of the rule of law to future generations of Singaporeans". In response to queries from CNA, a spokesperson for the judiciary said feedback received from the more than 1,100 participants in the conversations has been "encouraging". "The SG Courts will continue to reach out to the community through such programmes and other platforms, such as our social media channels," she said. Source: CNA/ll(ac)