SINGAPORE: A Vietnamese tycoon detained in Singapore last week remains in the city-state, one of his lawyers said on Wednesday, easing his family's immediate fears that he could face the death penalty if he was sent back home. Remy Choo, one of at least three lawyers representing Vu, told Reuters that Singapore's immigration authority had agreed to let him see his client for the first time later on Wednesday. Singapore has no extradition treaty with Vietnam but its immigration authority has the power to repatriate people under certain circumstances, according to the city-state's Immigration Act. A representative of Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said on Tuesday Vu was arrested on Dec. 28 "for committing offences under the Immigration Act". Vu's case adds a new international dimension to a Vietnamese corruption crackdown that has brought the arrest of dozens of officials and business figures and is entangled with political intrigues in the single-party communist state.

Source: Bangkok Post January 03, 2018 04:30 UTC