A Singapore court spared a convicted drug courier from the gallows under the city-state's new relaxed sentencing guidelines for lower-level drug trafficking, marking the first time a capital case has been settled under rules that took effect in January. In its statement, the attorney-general's office said the new rules could help authorities glean useful information "to dismantle drug syndicates or facilitate the arrest or prosecution of syndicate members," particularly senior figures. Whether an accused is deemed to have provided "substantive assistance" would "be assessed on the facts of each case," it said. However, some activists criticised the vagueness of this provision, saying that it means Singapore prosecutors still have too much authority. SMU Assistant Professor of Law Eugene Tan said that prosecutors have to balance "the need for clarity" with preventing accused persons from learning how "to game the system" and escape more severe punishment.