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SINGAPORE – The Home Office has refuted allegations by an Australian citizen who said he suffered here while on remand on drug charges.
Businessman Philip George Sceats gave an account of his time behind bars to the Australian media, after he was granted a discharge that did not amount to an acquittal on his drug charge last year.
He said he was a “shattered man” after nearly a year behind bars, claiming to have seen 14 fellow inmates being “taken to execution,” a fate he faced when accused of importing cocaine.
He also claimed that he was subjected to a strict regime whereby inmates were flogged “on the bare ass” if they did something wrong, and that the lights in his cell were never turned off.
In response to inquiries from The Straits Times, MHA clarified on Sunday (November 1) that, contrary to its claims, Mr. Sceats “was never housed together with prisoners on death row.”
Instead, he was kept in a separate area intended for pre-trial detainees at Changi Prison, said the ministry, which oversees the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and the Singapore Prison Service.
The ministry also noted that the detainees’ cells are equipped with lights that are programmed to automatically turn off at night.
Sceats was given one hour of “out of cell” time, along with all other inmates in pretrial detention, the ministry said, in response to Sceats’ claim that he only had 20 minutes of freedom every day.
The ministry further clarified in its statement that inmates are only punished for serious crimes, such as aggravated or repeated assault on another inmate, or assaulting a prison official. This punishment is reviewed by an independent committee and confirmed by the Prison Commissioner before it is carried out, the ministry said.
He added that the Singapore authorities had facilitated consular access to him during his detention here.
The Australian High Commission in Singapore was informed of the Sceats’ arrest, the ministry said. He had been arrested at the airport in March 2018, after airport officials found 39.4 g of cocaine and methadone tablets in his luggage.
Subsequently, the CNB requested a discharge that did not amount to an acquittal for Mr. Sceats in February 2019, following further investigations, the ministry said.
He was issued a stern warning for possession of methadone tablets.
Since his release, Sceats had told the Australian media that he had been framed for smuggling cocaine and that he is determined to find out what happened.
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