Saturday, May 8, 2010

Silviu Ionescu wins again

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore's state controlled newspaper the Straits Times has the story "Bucharest detains Ionescu". But even so, Ionescu wins against Singapore hands down.

Lets look back. Singapore government claims he was guilty of a hit and run accident, resulting in one death and 2 seriously injured. He on the other hand claims it was all a case of mistaken identity and he was never there. He claims Singapore had cooked up these charges because he had written to his government of Singapore's human rights abuses.

After he leaves, Singapore hands a series of diplomatic notes to the Romanian ambassador stationed in Tokyo, summons him to Singapore several times and threatens him with retaliation if Romania does not send Ionescu back to Singapore to stand trial.

Almost daily Singapore through their state controlled press humiliate Ionescu and the sovereign government of Romania by implying that Ionescu is a womaniser, a liar and every other insult you can imagine. Naturally any government, and not just Romania, would feel insulted by tiny Singapore violating all rules of diplomatic niceties by this arrogance.

Today we read in this report that Bucharest has arrested Ionescu and detained him for 30 days pending trial. But Romania rightfully refuses to return him to Singapore as Singapore demands. That is why I say Ionescu has won again, and Singapore has lost.

Romania should never send Ionescu to Singapore and I am sure they will not. At least, in Romania, he can expect a fair trial, which he will never get in Singapore. In fact, Ionescu has a very easy path ahead to convince the Bucharest court, not only that he should not be returned, but that each and every accusation against him by Singapore is false and inherently unreliable.

Why do I say this? I say this because Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore has discredited their own legal system so much that almost everyone who commits a crime in Singapore and absconds abroad would very likely not be returned because of Singapore's bad name.

Please do not misunderstand me. If Ionescu is indeed guilty, he should be given a trial. But the cardinal point is that everyone, including Ionescu deserves a fair trial, which is something the Singapore courts are incapable of giving. Singapore courts are simply corrupt.

Look at it's history. JB Jeyaretnam throughout his career was repeatedly hounded and punished for crimes he never committed. Almost every political opponent was and is charged with trumped up charges and false accusations. In Dr. Chee's case, the court refused even to give him a trial, instead deciding the case in the private chambers of Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean and ordering him to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars thereafter. In the Kangaroo trial, Judge Judith Prakash, now known as Singapore's Kangaroo judge sends 3 men to jail merely for wearing T shirts with pictures of kangaroos in judicial robes. The International Bar Association in a 72 page report slams Singapore's judicial system for corruption.

No, the Bucharest court will not order Ionescu to be returned to Singapore once they hear this.

If Ionescu's lawyer needs my help in pointing out this appalling and shameful record of Singaporean justice, I would only be too happy to help. If Ionescu's attorney puts out this shameful record of legal abuse in Singapore by Lee Kuan Yew and son, I expect Ionescu to be vindicated of all blame.

There is a saying that justice must not only be done, but must also seen to be done, and this is where Singapore faces an insurmountable problem.

In Singapore's case, with such a deplorable record of judicial abuse, justice can never be seen to be done for Ionescu in Singapore. Neither the court in Bucharest, nor the European Community Court, of which Romania is a member will ever send Ionescu back to a place like Singapore.

It would have been entirely different if the High Court of Australia or Canada had made such a request. They on the other hand are countries respected in the world.

Singapore on the other hand is a pariah state. Like Burma.

Gopalan Nair
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4 comments:

JT said...

Even though I think that Ionescu should face trial, but I think the Singapore's justice system is too bias against Ionescu for him to receive a fair trial.

Whose fault is it that it is so difficult to bring Ionescu to justice? It is Singapore's.

As usual, Singaporeans have the rights to be angry over this saga, but they are angry with the wrong people. Just look at PAP poor track record.

For a people who voted to get PAP into power regularly and did not realised that those were freak election results - It is quite unbearable for an ex-Singaporean like me. (Yes, Singapore readers go on and condemn me. I write for the good of a people whose govt has abused CPF to an extend that people cannot retire on them)

Anonymous said...

JT it looks like good riddance.

JT said...

Singapore students are uncomfortable with investigative essays that requires analysis. They often look for the evidences they want to find and draw the conclusion they think are right, before they have probe deep enough into the case.

I am glad my nephew is not brought up in an environment that will buy what an authority or a government says.

Already, he is challenging me to think and find faults with what he says. Eg using terms like a drug addict is a human too, and look beyond what the media portray. He will use terms such as alleged, out of character, under any influence of alcohol, failure of judgement, etc. I disagree with him many times, but he is able to find flaws with my Singaporean way of judgement. Eg you are seeking revenge, not justice.

He will go on to be a good civil rights lawyer for this country and not Singapore. Thank goodness, Singapore will not have him. He is not serving NS. He would rather use his spare time to teach refugees to play soccer and will be watching the World Cup with them soon.

Anonymous said...

I guess it nobodys fault,so why get so couped up over things,it is all been destine by god,when its time for anyone to meet him u will go in any matter of state,accidents,suicide,drowning etc,natural death.Just let the matter rest.
In mr ionescu case he is just part of the drama in the situation and why singapore want him so bad to return for trial....Are we so desperate to show the world that what we want we die die must get,learn to relax,if u cant give justice to him,one day justice will come to him.
One who made mistake,the mistake will haunt the one