SINGAPORE: The Court of Appeal decided on Friday, October 11, that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) had committed illegality by revealing and seeking the letters of inmates.
According to the ruling given by Senior Judge Judith Prakash, the court also determined that SPS and AGC had violated the detainees’ right to confidentiality by revealing and keeping their letters.
The Attorney-General (AG) was the target of a legal complaint brought by 13 death row inmates, both past and present, over the transmission of private correspondence, including letters to their solicitors, families and the president.
The complaint was based on the claim that SPS and AGC were entitled to damages because they had violated their right to confidentiality. Additionally, they asked the court to rule that the AG had overreached its authority and committed an illegal act. The majority of their claims were rejected by a lower court in July 2022, but three inmates were awarded “nominal damages” of S$10 (US$7.70) for violation of confidentially.
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