SINGAPORE: Two Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen will be charged on Wednesday (Jul 31) in military court over the death of national serviceman Aloysius Pang, the Ministry of Communications and Information said.
The two are Military Expert 2 (ME2) Ivan Teo, aged 35, and Third Sergeant (National Service) Hubert Wah, aged 31. The military court martial is presided over by a serving State Courts judge, the news release said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementME2 Teo will face three charges – one charge for disobedience of general orders under section 21 of the SAF Act; and two charges for causing death by negligent act under section 304A(b) of the Penal Code.
A serviceman convicted for disobedience of general orders faces jail of up to two years. A person convicted for causing death by negligent act faces up to two years' jail, a fine, or both.
3SG (NS) Wah will face two charges – one charge for causing death by rash act under section 304A(a) of the Penal Code, and one charge for causing death by negligent act under section 304A(b) of the Penal Code.
A person convicted for causing death by rash act shall be liable for imprisonment of up to five years, a fine, or both.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAs Pang’s death occurred in New Zealand, the Singapore Police Force does not have jurisdiction to conduct investigations into his death, the ministry said. Investigations into his death were conducted by the SAF’s Special Investigation Branch (SIB), and the Chief Military Prosecutor has decided to prosecute the two SAF servicemen based on the investigation findings of the SIB, the release added.
Corporal First Class (NS) Pang died in January after sustaining serious injuries during an SAF training exercise in New Zealand. He was crushed between the gun barrel and cabin while carrying out maintenance work in a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer (SSPH).
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The 28-year-old actor was in New Zealand for Exercise Thunder Warrior, a live firing exercise involving the howitzer.
The accident that led to his death was due to lapses by Pang and two other servicemen who were in the SSPH at the time, a Committee of Inquiry (COI) found.
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[h=3]READ: Aloysius Pang: 4th SAF training fatality in 18 months[/h][h=3]READ: SAF to set up Inspector-General’s Office to 'scrutinise and enforce' safety processes: MINDEF[/h]The five-member committee, which interviewed more than 20 people involved in the incident, also found no evidence indicating that the accident was caused by foul play or deliberate acts, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told Parliament in a ministerial statement back in May.
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