CaribWorldNews, SINGAPORE, Singapore, : A Bahamas-born, naturalized U.S. citizen, who once played football for Florida State University, faces a caning in Singapore for overstaying his visa.
Palm Beach Post reports indicate that Kamari Charlton, who played for FSU from 1992-96, was arrested in Singapore on Sept. 1 for overstaying his 90-day social visit pass. Staying in Singapore more than 90 days after the end of a visa is punishable with a maximum jail term of six months and at least three cane strokes.
The former reserve tight end, who now owns a construction company in his native Bahamas, was in Singapore with his wife who was receiving medical care for pregnancy complications. He was arrested last month as she tried to leave with his wife, Arun Maaran of Charlton`s defense team told CNN. He`s been in jail since.
On Friday, October 22, Singapore officials also charged Charlton with fraud after he allegedly bilked an Australian man out of thousands of dollars, the Associated Press reported. Police there are also investigating Charlton for money laundering, according to the AP.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors in Singapore alleged on Friday that Charlton tricked an Australian man into sending Charlton more than $15,000. Citing court documents, the AP reported that Charlton allegedly told the man that his family in Singapore desperately needed the money.
A Singapore embassy spokesman has claimed Charlton is being held for a series of criminal complaints against him — not for overstaying his visa as his legal defense team claims If found guilty, Charlton would be the first American citizen caned in Singapore since 1994, when teenager Michael Fay was punished for vandalism.
Singapore has been strongly criticized by the U.S. and various human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, for its caning punishment, in which the victim is strapped to a wooden A-frame and beaten on the buttocks with a wooden rattan.
Seems you guys are pretty cruel. The caning is for a non-violent crime of overstaying a visa, not the money-laundering charge. Well, the Singaporeans dropped the visa charge, probably do not want to deal with a Michael Fay again. Caning rips your skin from your body–it is indeed torture, not the school child type. And worse, it is only given to males, females are exempt no matter what crime they commit (and they also commit the same crimes). Equal justice under the law is a foreign concept to Singaporean authorities. Such concepts do not work in open, free and just societies like the Bahamas and the US.
Kamari Charlton has been arrested in Singapore for his alleged involvement in defrauding a number of Australians of thousands of dollars plus overstaying his tourist visa. Singapore authorities said they are also investigating Charlton for money laundering offences.
Staying in Singapore more than 90 days after the expiration of a visitor’s visa is punishable with a maximum jail term of six months and at least three cane strokes. Cheating is punished with a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine. Police alleged Charlton has been involved with a telephone fraud that targeted elderly Australian citizens of Croatian heritage. It appears that telephone calls were made to elderly Croatian Australians from people claiming to be friends with their relatives.
The callers spun stories which centred on the relative being stranded somewhere overseas and needing urgent funds to buy a plane ticket or obtain medical treatment. Many of the elderly Croatian Australians fell for the fraud as the callers spoke Croatian and knew intricate details of their family members. The victims were directed to transfer funds via Western Union. It is believed that there are around twenty four separate victims in Australia, with one victim losing US$24,000. Reports about the frauds were made to local Police and some of the phone calls and money transfers were traced to Singapore and allegedly direct to Charlton. Assistance was provided by Interpol to coordinate the investigation.
I feel as though he should be canned. If he broke the law he should be punished, He knew the consequences of his action, now he has to deal with them. We can’t be two faced when it comes to the Haitiians and just because he is a Bahmaian it’s okay ….screw that wail his tail. I bet you he would think twice about doing it agian.
COULD YOU BEAT SOMEOEN FOR OVER STAYING IN A COUNTRY?,..IS OVERSTAYING A CRIME IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, OR DID HE HURT SOMEONE TO BE CANED? THIS IS SLAVE MENTALITY AND CRUEL AND DEGRADING PUNISHMENT AND THIS MUST BE HIGH SCHOOL ALL OVER AGAIN FOR A GROWN MAN TO BE CANED FOR HURTING NO MAN…JUST JAIL HIM AND DEPORT HIM!!!
If he did the crime, hell yeah he should be caned. To many of us believe that we are above the law. We go in another man’s land with the biggety bahamian attitude of we could do whatever we want. Well who we know ain’t ga cut it in foreign.
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http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=159230830775434&ref=mf
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canning at it best
They need to bring that caning here. That’s a very good idea! Since hanging/death is too “inhumane” for someone who took someone else’s life or steals from another, maybe our criminals will think twice when they know they could get a beating so bad it will tear their hip. Asian countries don’t play around, and thus everything is in order. What a stupid, slack nation we are. Run by stupid, slack people!
Um the last american to be caned there was, uhhhh … WHITE. Bout time they evened out the playing field
tsk tsk tsk…..praying for you though
Here is the thing…if you are ok with Mr. Charlton overstaying his visa in Singapore with no consequence, then you have no grounds to punish the Haitian from next door who overstays his visa. I won’t even comment on the other criminal allegations. To those who say “where is the outcry”…same place it was the times he was breaking the law and got away with it.
Shock, outrage! A Bahamian breaking the law abroad. He must be saved. Send Fred Mitchell, muster the ranks of the PLP to defend this law breaker … after all, he’s no different from a straw vendor.
agree send fred, brave,brad and perry they will spare him the cutass
I cant pass judgement till i hear both sides of the story… But I agree we do need to cane some of these bad folks around here. Hey whatever happened to the cat of nine tails?? Im jus sayin 😉
I remember this guy’s story being discussed on the local talk shows…they failed to mention the part about “bilking $15k from the Australian man”. If proven to have committed the offence, he should receive an extra cane stroke for bringing shame on his family and country. I can imagine the heckling he would receive when he returns to the Bahamas.
I too support Donna’s notion that caning be a part of the Bahamian system, particularly for burglary, fraud, sexual assault and battery. What a shame!
I support this caning. We should implement it over here. As it is victims get no justice over here, so at least we can get the satisfaction that they got a good cut hip!
Where is the national Bahamian and American outcry in this? Why are we so insensitive to what is being done to our black men around the world? The silence is deafening, I tell you! It’s a darn shame!
Stand up, Bahamas!
Stand up, America!
They need to beat him. We need to implement something like that here at home. People too like to break the law and get off with little or no punishment. Screw Amnesty and the rest because they don’t have to live in our society and deal with the crime.
We unreservedly agree. WAIL HIS YOU KNOW WHAT Tell he can’t sit down. Gat the Bahamas looking like a bunch a bush THIEFIN wackers… Imagine that, everywhere ya go in the world they gat us like the Nigerians all over the place sending fraudulent requests. WE SAY TIE HIM DOWN AND CANE HIS [BLANK!}.
BP
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