SINGAPORE: A businessman implicated in a corruption case linked to a government project in Indonesia will continue to be remanded in Singapore pending a medical report from the prisons.

Businessman Paulus Tannos is a suspect in a graft case linked to the Indonesian government’s electronic ID card project, which is said to have caused the state about 2.3 trillion rupiah (US$140 million) in losses.

The court heard on Thursday (Mar 13) that Tannos' lawyer has submitted a bail application along with supporting documents detailing Tannos' medical condition.

Tannos, who also goes by the name Tjhin Thian Po, has been living in Singapore since 2017. He is a permanent resident here and holds a diplomatic passport from West African country Guinea-Bissau.

He was first remanded without bail after he was arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau on Jan 17, pending the submission of a formal request for his extradition by Indonesia.

Singapore received the formal request on Feb 24, along with the relevant documents, which the authorities are reviewing.

Tannos' court mention on Thursday comes three days after the Singapore authorities said they were working to expedite Indonesia's extradition request for Tannos. 

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said during a press conference that the Singapore would do anything it can to expedite the matter, and that how fast the case proceeded depended on the arguments by Tannos and his lawyers, and factors such as available court dates. 

Tannos' case is the first under a new extradition treaty between Singapore and Indonesia, which was signed in January 2022 and came into force in March last year.

HEALTH PROBLEMS

Tannos appeared in court via videolink for his mention wearing a white shirt and looking thin and frail.

State Counsel Sarah Siaw told the court that the state had received the bail application filed by Tannos' lawyer on Tuesday night, after the deadline had passed. 

Ms Siaw told the court that the state had also received an affidavit with medical reports and documents from the defence. She asked to file a reply affidavit by Apr 17. 

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