1. The capital sentence of death imposed on Saridewi Binte Djamani (“Saridewi”) was carried out on 28 July 2023.
2. Saridewi, a 45-year-old Singaporean, was convicted of having in her possession for the purpose of trafficking, not less than 30.72 grammes of diamorphine, or pure heroin (i.e. six packets and seven straws of gross weight not less than 1,084.37 grammes).
3. The Misuse of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine trafficked is more than 15 grammes. 30.72 grammes of diamorphine is more than twice that amount, and is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 370 abusers for a week.
4. Saridewi was accorded full due process under the law, and was represented by legal counsel throughout the process:
a. Saridewi was convicted and sentenced to capital punishment on 6 July 2018.
b. She appealed against her conviction and sentence, and the Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal on 6 October 2022.
5. Saridewi’s petition to the President for clemency was unsuccessful.
6. Capital punishment is used only for the most serious crimes, such as the trafficking of significant quantities of drugs which cause very serious harm, not just to individual drug abusers, but also to their families and the wider society. Capital punishment is part of Singapore’s comprehensive harm prevention strategy which targets both drug demand and supply.
Central Narcotics Bureau
28 July 2023
