M'sian cleared of drug charges in S'pore now only has 10 days of quarantine to deal with in Penang

GEORGE TOWN: Happy to be back home a free man, Beh Chew Boo, 38, now only has to deal with being quarantined for 10 days.

Beh said he was happy to be free and home.

"I am really happy to have seen my father at the airport.

"It was great seeing him again," said Beh, who is currently being quarantined at the Rainbow Paradise Hotel in Tanjung Bungah, for the government-mandated quarantine for foreign arrivals.

Beh, who has not seen his father in a while, was thrilled to finally meet him in person.

He escaped the noose on Oct 13,2020, after the Singapore Court of Appeal cleared him of a capital drug charge, finally walking out a free man on Tuesday (March 9).

The Straits Times reported that Beh was released after the same panel of judges dismissed a bid by prosecutors to proceed with the trial of four other non-capital charges against him.

The judges – Sundaresh Menon, Tay Yong Kwang and Steven Chong – came in with a 2-1 decision, the daily reported.

Beh, who was arrested in October 2016 at the Woodlands Checkpoint, faced five charges of unauthorised importation of controlled drugs on the same occasion to Singapore.

The prosecution, however, proceeded with only the first charge which involved the death penalty, while the other four charges were stood down.

Beh claimed trial and was convicted by the High Court on the charge of importing into Singapore not less than 499.97g of methamphetamine.

He was sentenced to death in early 2020.

At the time of the incident, Beh, who was 34 years old then, entered Singapore from Malaysia on a Malaysian-registered motorcycle.

The registered owner of the motorcycle was his friend and ex-colleague, while his girlfriend, Ting Swee Ling, was riding pillion.

The seized drugs contained not less than 742.82g of a crystalline substance, which was analysed and found to contain not less than 499.97g of methamphetamine.