The Malaysian Insight

NAGAENTHRAN Dharmalingam’s final appeal at a Singapore court was dismissed today and the Malaysian is expected to be executed tomorrow, Lawyers for Liberty adviser N. Surendran said.

Surendran told The Malaysian Insight that Nagaenthran’s mother’s plea to be allowed to appoint a lawyer for her son was ignored by the court.

“Verdict given without hearing from Nagaenthran’s side. This is a barbaric disregard of the rule of law,” he said.

The lawyer said only a reprieve from the prime minister, cabinet or the president can save Nagaenthran now.

“But that seems unlikely as they don’t seem to care. If none of that is done, he will be executed tomorrow,” he said.

Nagaenthran, 34, has an IQ of 69, a lower-than-average score that qualifies for intellectual disability.

He was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to death in 2011 under the Misuse of Drugs Act for illegally importing 42.7g of diamorphine.

Nagaenthran was caught with a bundle of heroin strapped to his thigh when entering the city-state from Malaysia via the Woodlands checkpoint in April 2009.

He was originally scheduled to be hanged in November last year but the decision sparked criticism due to his IQ level and his lawyer mounted an 11th-hour challenge at the Court of Appeal. – April 26, 2022.