Govt Promise To Review Bail Legislation Cuz CHC Chew Eng Han Spoil Market

Chew Han Eng is the man of the hour ever since he tried to escape Singapore—the day before his jail term— on a sampan.

He is so hot (figuratively speaking) that even foreign media reported on his failed attempt to escape.

Image: straitstimes.com

So when Chew Han Eng tried to escape, he was on bail of $1 million.

Now, what is bail?

It is when you’re given a temporary release so that you can carry out your day-to-day activities while waiting for trial, and most of the time, you will have to lodge a sum of money to guarantee your appearance in court.

So when Chew Han Eng tried to escape, it raised a question: “Should jumping bail be an offence?”

Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam mentioned that “the matter of people jumping bail has been on his mind for some time even before Chew’s case,” The Straits Times reported.

“It will come as a surprise to many that jumping bail is not in itself an offence. Because you have put up bail, and you lose your bail, but we are going to make that an offence,” said Mr Shanmugam.

If not for the tip-off, the coast guards would not have caught Chew Han Eng.

So, does that mean the police have to be on the lookout 24/7?

Mr Shanmugam mentioned that it is “too much of a burden” to expect the police to keep track of the thousands of persons” on bail and ensuring that they stay in Singapore.

“That’s not the best use of police resources. Police, as we have just discussed, should be focused on counter-terrorism and solving crimes,” he added.

On that note, Mr Shanmugam pointed out that there will be changes to the bail regime.

It is part of the proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) and Evidence Act which were announced last year and it will be presented in Parliament, The Strait Times reported.

They are also considering electronic tagging to monitor those on bail.

SPOIL MARKET

So, Chew Han Eng spoil market?

They were actually nice to him to push his sentence after CNY as he wanted to spend time with his family during the festive period.

People give you an inch, you want to take a mile.

For now, we just have to wait and see how they are actually going to tighten the bail regime.

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This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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Featured image: Channelnewsasia.com / straitstimes.com