Man who admitted to taking drugs with ex-lawyer M Ravi to be charged on Dec 26

[SINGAPORE] A 40-year-old Singaporean who allegedly consumed drugs with former lawyer M Ravi prior to his death is set to be charged on Dec 26 with arranging a gathering where controlled drugs were consumed.

M Ravi, whose full name was Ravi Madasamy, died in hospital after he was found unconscious in the early hours of Dec 24. He was 56 years old.

Police said on the same day that he had consumed drugs with a friend.

According to police, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call at 5.41 am the same day to attend to an urgent case.

“The person who needed assistance was 56-year-old M Ravi. He was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital unconscious, where he was subsequently pronounced dead,” the police said.

The man who called for help was at the apartment when SCDF arrived.

He said that he and Ravi “had taken drugs a few hours earlier”, and added that the former lawyer had “exhibited concerning symptoms after he took the drugs”.

The man had admitted that the drugs belonged to him, and said that he had administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation to Ravi.

He was later arrested.

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CNB officers also seized some drug-related items from the apartment along Upper Boon Keng Road, police and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a joint statement on Dec 26.

The man’s urine had tested positive for a controlled drug in an instant urine test, and his urine samples will be sent to the Health Sciences Authority for a confirmatory test.

Preliminary investigations established that both men knew each other since 2023 and had first met through a social networking app.

“The 40-year-old man stated that they had met at the man’s apartment on Dec 24 to consume drugs which allegedly came from both of them, and engage in other activities,” the joint statement said.

The offence of arranging a gathering where controlled drugs were consumed carries a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and 10 strokes of the cane.

Ravi’s death is currently being investigated by the police.

“Upon completion of the Police’s investigations, the findings will be submitted to the State Coroner in Singapore, who will determine if a Coroner’s Inquiry will need to be held,” the statement said.

A Coroner’s Inquiry is a fact-finding process led by the State Coroner to establish the cause and circumstances of death in an open court.

CNB’s follow-up investigations revealed that the man may have deliberately disposed of some drugs before police arrived.

He has therefore also been referred to the police for a possible offence of perverting the course of justice.

Investigations by CNB and the police are ongoing. THE STRAITS TIMES