Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament Ramkarpal Singh has called on the Singapore Government to immediately suspend the execution of Malaysian citizen Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, scheduled for 8 October, 2025, citing his active role in an ongoing investigation into a transnational drug trafficking syndicate.
In a media statement issued on 4 October, Ramkarpal said Pannir, currently on death row in Singapore, had recently been interviewed by Malaysian police from Bukit Aman in connection with four police reports lodged between 2018 and 2025.
These reports allegedly contain information on individuals who supplied drugs to Pannir and persuaded him to smuggle them into Singapore.
Ramkarpal stated that these individuals are believed to be members of a syndicate that operated in Johor at the time.
According to the statement, Malaysian police were granted access to Changi Prison to interview Pannir on 27 September. The interview reportedly lasted about three hours, during which Pannir provided “material information” concerning the drug network.
Ramkarpal thanked the Singapore authorities for their cooperation in facilitating the prison interview. However, he emphasised that there is currently no indication the investigation has concluded.
“Such investigations have just begun and would likely take time to conclude,” he said. “There is a strong possibility that Pannir will be a key witness in the prosecution of individuals in Malaysia as a result of the said investigations.”
The DAP MP argued that executing Pannir before these investigations are completed would not only jeopardise efforts to dismantle the syndicate, but could also embolden others to continue trafficking drugs using vulnerable individuals as couriers.
“There can be no doubt that Pannir is actively assisting the authorities in Malaysia,” he said. “Executing him now, before PDRM completes its investigation, would only embolden syndicates while the masterminds remain at large.”
Ramkarpal further urged Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to confirm that investigations are underway, and to acknowledge Pannir’s role as a material witness necessary to facilitate the ongoing probe.
He warned that failure to halt the execution could lead to a “travesty of justice” if the masterminds behind the syndicate escape prosecution due to the loss of vital information that Pannir could have provided.
Pannir was convicted by the Singapore High Court on 2 May 2017, for importing at least 51.84g of diamorphine into Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint on 3 September, 2014. He was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act.
His appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 9 February 2018, and his clemency petition to the President of Singapore was rejected.
Pannir had previously been granted two stays of execution.
The first was in May 2019, when he sought to challenge the clemency rejection and the Public Prosecutor’s decision not to issue him a Certificate of Substantive Assistance.
A second stay was granted in February 2025, which was lifted after the dismissal of his post-appeal application on 5 September.
On 6 September, a further stay request was rejected by the Court of Appeal. This application was linked to disciplinary proceedings Pannir had initiated through the Law Society against his former legal representative.
Human rights lawyer M Ravi, who previously represented Pannir, also called on the Singapore authorities to halt the execution.
In a Facebook post, he confirmed receiving the execution notice and expressed concern over the ongoing Malaysian investigations.
“Pannir’s sister has informed me that the Malaysian police recently interviewed him in connection with critical leads,” he wrote. “I urge the Singapore authorities to immediately halt the execution pending the outcome of the Malaysian police’s inquiries.”
Ravi also appealed for the issuance of a Certificate of Substantive Assistance in recognition of the intelligence Pannir has reportedly provided.
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