Former NUS assistant professor jailed after pleading guilty to drug offences
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – A computer science expert found in possession of drug paraphernalia in his apartment at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has been sentenced to a year’s jail.
Jevdic Dorde pleaded guilty on Dec 11 to one count of consumption of drugs, and another for the possession of drug paraphernalia.
Another drug-related offence was taken into consideration during sentencing.
The 40-year-old Serb was arrested during a raid by the Central Narcotics Bureau on Aug 4, 2023.
Officers found straws, a rubber tube and a glass utensil, which he admitted he used to inhale methamphetamine, otherwise known as “Ice”.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie said Dorde was released on bail on the same day he was arrested after providing two bottles of urine for testing.
His urine samples tested positive for the presence of a cannabinol derivative.
DPP Cheah said Dorde admitted to smoking cannabis 10 days before his arrest.
Dorde, who was working as an assistant professor at NUS then, said he began smoking cannabis in early 2020, and would sometimes smoke up to three joints a day.
He told investigators that his habit started after he was given a drug supplier’s contact details.
Dorde also admitted to using the utensils found in his apartment to smoke “Ice”. He said he used the drug with other people about once a month.
Dorde, who was represented by Mr Gino Hardial Singh from Abbots Chambers, said he suffered from major depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Mr Singh said Dorde resorted to self-medication as a result of his condition.
DPP Cheah said the claim of self-medication is dangerous and should not be given any mitigating weight, as it suggests that it is fine to consume illicit substances if one is suffering from the same ailments.
“I think the more salient point is that neither depression nor ADHD are uncommon conditions in Singapore. There are multiple avenues to address these conditions beyond consuming illicit substances.”
NUS on Dec 11 said Dorde, who was suspended from work since August 2023, had his employment terminated.
A spokesperson for the university said: “All NUS staff are expected to hold themselves up to high standards of professional and personal conduct, including abiding by the laws and regulations of Singapore.”
