SINGAPORE: Sending Paulus Tannos to Indonesia will be oppressive to him due to the corruption there and because of the time that has passed since his alleged offence, his lawyer said on Tuesday (Jun 24).
Lawyer Bachoo Mohan Singh revealed his 70-year-old client's argument against being extradited to Indonesia during the second day of the hearing into the matter.
The three-day hearing will be to determine whether Tannos, a Singapore permanent resident wanted in Indonesia for his involvement in a high-profile corruption case, can be surrendered to Indonesia under the Extradition Act and the extradition treaty.
His case is the first under the new extradition treaty between Singapore and Indonesia, which was signed in January 2022 and came into effect in March last year.
The court here will not have to determine Tannos' guilt in the alleged graft, but it will have to assess if there is enough evidence to prove the elements of the offence in order to approve the extradition to Indonesia.
Arrested in Singapore on Jan 17 this year, Tannos – also known as Tjhin Thian Po – has repeatedly declined to be surrendered to Indonesia, which has stalled extradition proceedings.
A committal hearing for the matter was fixed from Jun 23 to 25.
On the first day of the hearing on Monday, the state counsels and Tannos's lawyers wrangled over the admissibility of documents, comprising a formal request for extradition and a set of supplementary documents filed earlier this year on separate occasions.
Tannos, represented by Mr Singh from law firm BMS Law, and lawyers Suang Wijaya and Hamza Malik from Eugene Thuraisingam LLC, argued that the supplementary documents should be struck out and the formal request rejected because the evidence was not in compliance with the extradition treaty.
After hearing a response by the state counsels, Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan ruled on Tuesday afternoon that the documents were admissible and then admitted all of them into evidence.
Tannos was arrested for his role in a corruption case linked to the Indonesian government's electronic identity card project that is said to have caused the country about 2.3 trillion rupiah (US$140 million) in losses.
The hearing on Tuesday later resumed with the cross-examination of the state's first witness, chief special investigator Alvin Tang from the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) who stook the stand on Monday.
Mr Singh led the cross-examination, focusing on CPIB's involvement in Tannos' arrest and asking if Mr Tang was aware that Tannos' family had arrived in Singapore in March 2012.
The CPIB officer said he could not remember the exact date.
Mr Singh then asked whether Mr Tang had thought it necessary to check if Tannos' wife had been out of Singapore in August 2012. This was the period when she was alleged to have handed money to another person who was linked to the corruption case.
The lawyer told Mr Tang to check on this detail by the end of the trial, but the state counsels interjected to say that Tannos should not be directing the investigating officer on such matters.
Mr Singh replied that this was "the least" CPIB could do given its abilities.
However, Judge Tan said Tannos had no basis to make the request, prompting Mr Singh to say that he was asking Mr Tang to "do the right thing".
Mr Singh was asked to move on with the cross-examination.
A sketch of Paulus Tannos' lawyer Bachoo Mohan Singh in court on Jun 24, 2025. (Image: CNA/Nathan Magindren)
Mr Singh also relayed Tannos' argument against his extradition after he briefly sparred with the state counsels over the issue of having "all cards on the table".
Mr Singh contended that the state should have explained why certain supplementary documents were served on Tannos in June even though the papers were received in April.
"They should tell us, we are in the process where all the cards are all on table," Mr Singh said.
In response, State Counsel Vincent Leow said that the supplementary documents were disclosed after the state had reviewed them and were satisfied that they could assist the court.
Mr Leow then pointed out that Tannos himself had yet to reveal his witnesses even though Mr Singh said that all cards should be on the table.
Mr Singh told the court that his client's case against extradition would be grounded on the corruption in Indonesia and its "harsh and cruel" prison conditions.
"We are saying you shouldn't send this man back to a place like that. We are saying ... that it will be oppressive," Mr Singh continued.
"It will be oppressive to send him back because the matter has taken place so long ago, he will never be able to mouth a defence, witnesses have died and witnesses cannot be found," Mr Singh added, saying that legal experts would be called to the stand here to testify to the corruption and prison conditions in Indonesia.
Mr Singh and his team will also argue that Tannos cannot be extradited because he has not been interviewed as a suspect and a statement recorded from him in that capacity.
He added that Tannos had been interviewed in Singapore only as a witness by the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia – known as the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) – at least four times, with CPIB facilitating the process.
The hearing was adjourned after Mr Singh asked for records that detailed the dates of these sessions.
It will resume on Wednesday.
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Lawyer Bachoo Mohan Singh revealed his 70-year-old client's argument against being extradited to Indonesia during the second day of the hearing into the matter.
The three-day hearing will be to determine whether Tannos, a Singapore permanent resident wanted in Indonesia for his involvement in a high-profile corruption case, can be surrendered to Indonesia under the Extradition Act and the extradition treaty.
His case is the first under the new extradition treaty between Singapore and Indonesia, which was signed in January 2022 and came into effect in March last year.
The court here will not have to determine Tannos' guilt in the alleged graft, but it will have to assess if there is enough evidence to prove the elements of the offence in order to approve the extradition to Indonesia.
Arrested in Singapore on Jan 17 this year, Tannos – also known as Tjhin Thian Po – has repeatedly declined to be surrendered to Indonesia, which has stalled extradition proceedings.
A committal hearing for the matter was fixed from Jun 23 to 25.
On the first day of the hearing on Monday, the state counsels and Tannos's lawyers wrangled over the admissibility of documents, comprising a formal request for extradition and a set of supplementary documents filed earlier this year on separate occasions.
Tannos, represented by Mr Singh from law firm BMS Law, and lawyers Suang Wijaya and Hamza Malik from Eugene Thuraisingam LLC, argued that the supplementary documents should be struck out and the formal request rejected because the evidence was not in compliance with the extradition treaty.
After hearing a response by the state counsels, Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan ruled on Tuesday afternoon that the documents were admissible and then admitted all of them into evidence.
Tannos was arrested for his role in a corruption case linked to the Indonesian government's electronic identity card project that is said to have caused the country about 2.3 trillion rupiah (US$140 million) in losses.
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CROSS-EXAMINATION OF CPIB OFFICER
The hearing on Tuesday later resumed with the cross-examination of the state's first witness, chief special investigator Alvin Tang from the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) who stook the stand on Monday.
Mr Singh led the cross-examination, focusing on CPIB's involvement in Tannos' arrest and asking if Mr Tang was aware that Tannos' family had arrived in Singapore in March 2012.
The CPIB officer said he could not remember the exact date.
Mr Singh then asked whether Mr Tang had thought it necessary to check if Tannos' wife had been out of Singapore in August 2012. This was the period when she was alleged to have handed money to another person who was linked to the corruption case.
The lawyer told Mr Tang to check on this detail by the end of the trial, but the state counsels interjected to say that Tannos should not be directing the investigating officer on such matters.
Mr Singh replied that this was "the least" CPIB could do given its abilities.
However, Judge Tan said Tannos had no basis to make the request, prompting Mr Singh to say that he was asking Mr Tang to "do the right thing".
Mr Singh was asked to move on with the cross-examination.
A sketch of Paulus Tannos' lawyer Bachoo Mohan Singh in court on Jun 24, 2025. (Image: CNA/Nathan Magindren)
"HARSH AND CRUEL" PRISON CONDITIONS
Mr Singh also relayed Tannos' argument against his extradition after he briefly sparred with the state counsels over the issue of having "all cards on the table".
Mr Singh contended that the state should have explained why certain supplementary documents were served on Tannos in June even though the papers were received in April.
"They should tell us, we are in the process where all the cards are all on table," Mr Singh said.
In response, State Counsel Vincent Leow said that the supplementary documents were disclosed after the state had reviewed them and were satisfied that they could assist the court.
Mr Leow then pointed out that Tannos himself had yet to reveal his witnesses even though Mr Singh said that all cards should be on the table.
Mr Singh told the court that his client's case against extradition would be grounded on the corruption in Indonesia and its "harsh and cruel" prison conditions.
"We are saying you shouldn't send this man back to a place like that. We are saying ... that it will be oppressive," Mr Singh continued.
"It will be oppressive to send him back because the matter has taken place so long ago, he will never be able to mouth a defence, witnesses have died and witnesses cannot be found," Mr Singh added, saying that legal experts would be called to the stand here to testify to the corruption and prison conditions in Indonesia.
Mr Singh and his team will also argue that Tannos cannot be extradited because he has not been interviewed as a suspect and a statement recorded from him in that capacity.
He added that Tannos had been interviewed in Singapore only as a witness by the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia – known as the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) – at least four times, with CPIB facilitating the process.
The hearing was adjourned after Mr Singh asked for records that detailed the dates of these sessions.
It will resume on Wednesday.
Continue reading...