Singapore: The Court of Appeal suspended the execution of a Malaysian drug dealer on Tuesday (November 9) because he tested positive for COVID-19.
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam has been on death row for 11 years. He was briefly taken to the pier to try to oppose his death sentence for the last time.
However, he was later taken away and a judge notified the court that Naganslan had tested positive for COVID-19.
Justice Andrew Phang, who appeared in court with other judges Judith Prakash and Kannan Ramesh, said “this is quite unexpected.” He said that the court held that it was inappropriate to proceed “in view of the circumstances at the time.”
“The execution is scheduled for tomorrow,” Judge Peng said. “…If the applicant is affected by COVID-19… we believe that the death penalty cannot be executed anyway.”
The prosecutors stated that they had only heard of the developments and needed instructions.
“I think we must use logic, common sense and humanity here,” Judge Peng said. He postponed the hearing to an undetermined date and suspended execution until the end of the proceedings.
Hearing background
Lawyer M Ravi took over the 33-year-old Nagaenthran case 11 hours before the scheduled hanging on Wednesday.
On Monday, his court’s application for judicial review of the case on the grounds of Nagaenthran’s so-called mental disability was rejected, but the judge granted him a stay of execution until Mr. Ravi appealed the rejection.
The case is progressing rapidly, and the appeal is scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon. The court is crowded with foreign media and local activists.
After the suspension was announced, someone saw Mr. Ravi hugging a lawyer.
No other details were provided about when Nagaenthran tested positive for COVID-19. CNA has contacted the Singapore Prison Service for more information.
Nagaenthran was sentenced to death in 2010 on the charge of importing 42.72 grams of heroin onto his lap in 2009 and importing it into Singapore. He failed to appeal to the High Court in 2011, to the Supreme Court in 2019, and to petition the President for leniency.
With the imminent execution of Nagaenthran, the case has attracted international attention. As of Tuesday, the online petition against his death penalty attracted approximately 70,000 signatures and was reported by international media.
According to a report by Bernama, it is reported that the Prime Minister of Malaysia has sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Singapore on this matter. Richard Branson, the founder of human rights organizations and Virgin Group, also weighed this issue.
