Man Remanded At IMH After Claiming To Be Sovereign Citizen On 13 Oct
On Thursday (13 Oct), a man was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric evaluation after violating Covid-19 safety rules.
Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, 57, was slapped with two charges of failing to wear a mask.
In 2021, he allegedly failed to wear a mask in East Coast Park, as well as both inside and outside the State Courts.
During his trial, Abdul Rashid told the court that the person known by his name was dead and that he was a sovereign citizen representing his former deceased self.
Witnesses said man claimed to be an ambassador of another country, had political exemption
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Abdul Rashid claimed trial for two charges of not wearing a mask.
Four prosecution witnesses were called to the stand on Thursday (13 Oct).
Abdul Rashid reportedly appeared maskless at East Coast Lagoon Food Village on 19 Mar 2021. Despite getting several reminders, he failed to put a mask on and continued sitting at the table to wait for his food.
A witness said Abdul Rashid claimed he was an ambassador of a Philippine country, Kingdom Filipina Hacienda. As he said he had political exemption, he acted aggressively and told officers they had no right to intrude.
However, during the cross-examination of another witness, a safe distancing ambassador, Abdul Rashid purportedly showed a letter about his health condition.
He was reported as saying,
Why are you forcing me to put on the mask when I was sitting with family … you approached me when we were sitting to continuously put on the mask.
Abdul Rashid continued questioning why he was forced to put on a mask when it made him feel suffocated “from morning until evening.”
Man claims to be sovereign citizen who cannot be governed by Singapore law
However, during his defence, Abdul Rashid said he was acting on behalf of the person going by his name, as that person has passed away, The Straits Times reports.
Reading from a document declaring his sovereignty, Abdul Rashid also claimed that he cannot be governed by the laws of Singapore.
Subsequently, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Timotheus Koh asked to assess Abdul Rashid’s mental state.
Source: Google Maps
DPP Koh pointed out that he was incoherent and would be unable to follow court proceedings, and Senior District Judge Bala Reddy concurred.
After Abdul Rashid began testifying from the witness stand, it became clear that he needed evaluation, the judge said before ordering Abdul Rashid to be remanded at IMH for two weeks.
Told officers he had renounced Singaporean citizenship
Following the hearing, Abdul Rashid was overheard saying he was denied the opportunity to explain his evidence.
While police tried to get him to comply, he responded, “I understand what you’re saying, but I disagree.”
He also told officers he had “revoked consent” to be governed over 20 years ago.
Abdul Rashid claimed that he was not a member of society and was the “great-grandson of the sultanate of Singapore.”
When asked for identification documents, he said he had renounced his Singaporean citizenship.
Later, the two men who accompanied Abdul Rashid to the court told him they would “inform the queen” of the situation.
Presented himself as Benjamin Glynn’s lawyer in court last year
In 2021, Abdul presented himself as the lawyer of Briton Benjamin Glynn, who also claimed to be a sovereign citizen.
He was previously denied from entering the State Courts due to his inappropriate attire. He also admitted he did not have a licence to practise law.
The next hearing for his case is on 27 Oct.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps & by MS News.
