By Massita Ahmad
SINGAPORE, April 27 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian on death row Nagaenthran Dharmalingam has been executed early Wednesday morning in Singapore’s Changi Prison and his remains will be taken back to his hometown in Malaysia’s northern state of Perak.
Nagaentran’s execution was confirmed by his brother Navin Kumar to Bernama.
When contacted, Navin was still at Changi Prison to claim the remains of his brother.
Nagaenthran, 34, is the second of four siblings.
On Tuesday (April 26), the Singapore Court of Appeal dismissed a legal challenge filed by Nagaenthran’s mother in a last-ditch attempt to set aside her son’s conviction and death sentence.
Panchalai Supermaniam filed the legal challenge for her son with the help of friends and activists and was not represented by any lawyer.
The hearing was heard before three Justices namely Andrew Phang; Judith Prakash; and Belinda Ang.
The basis of the legal challenge was that Judge Sundaresh Menon who presided over and dismissed Nagaenthran’s appeals was earlier the Attorney General who had prosecuted Nagaenthran and secured his conviction.
Among others, the decision which was read by Justice Phang said Nagaenthran should raise an objection to Menon sitting on the Coram “at the appropriate juncture and not at the eleventh hour in a separate application in the attempt to delay his execution.”
After his mother’s application was dismissed, the court granted Nagaenthran’s request to hold hands with his seven family members present in the courtroom through a slit in the glass panel.
Nagaenthran was sentenced to death in 2010 for trafficking 42.72g heroin in 2009 into Singapore which is known to have among the world’s toughest narcotics laws.
Nagaenthran’s lawyers claim that he is intellectually disabled.
He was supposed to be hanged on Nov 10, 2021, but found temporary respite on Nov 9 after the court was told he had tested positive for COVID-19 when he appeared for a last-bid attempt against his death sentence.
On Nov 7, 2021, it was reported that Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had written to his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong seeking leniency in this case.
Meanwhile, on Dec 3, Singapore President Halimah Yacob said he had been accorded full due process under the law.
Nagaenthran’s fate drew international outcry on Singapore’s tough narcotics laws.
— NNN-BERNAMA