Deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said police interviewed Pannir for about four hours on Sept 27.
“The information provided by the subject had no operational value for the police to conduct further investigations,” he said in a special chamber session in Parliament.
He said police had earlier investigated three people named by Pannir and his family but found no link.
“The ministry found there was no room to pursue the case further.”
Shamsul said Malaysia respected Singapore’s laws and that its courts had found drugs taped to Pannir’s leg and hidden in his motorcycle, showing he was not just a courier.
Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor), who moved a motion on Pannir’s incarceration and death sentence, pressed Shamsul to confirm if police had sent the case to the public prosecutor and whether a decision was made or it was declared as “no further action” (NFA).
Shamsul said as no investigation paper was opened, no referral was therefore made.
“Referral to the DPP is made only after an investigation paper is opened and arrests or seizures have been made.”
Ramkarpal then questioned the purpose of taking Pannir’s statement on Sept 27 if it did not result in an investigation.
Shamsul reiterated that the information provided by Pannir had no operational value.
“There is no room to continue.”
Pannir, 36, is set to be executed in Singapore tomorrow for trafficking in 51.84g of diamorphine through the Woodlands checkpoint in 2014.
In a statement, lawyer N Surendren said Pannir’s family would challenge the government’s decision not to carry out further investigations on information provided by Pannir.
He said Shamsul’s statement was contrary to the information within the family’s possession.
“We have now been given instructions by Pannir’s family to immediately commence a legal suit against the government for its failure to carry out further investigations in this matter.
“In light of the information that has been provided by Pannir Selvam, he’s entitled to a stay of execution to enable him to obtain a certificate of substantive assistance from the Singapore authorities to enable his death sentence to be commuted to imprisonment.”