A new wrinkle emerged this afternoon in a Malaysian inmate’s last-ditch bid for clemency to escape the noose with word he tested positive for COVID-19, prompting his court appeal hearing to be postponed.
The Court of Appeal today granted Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a 33-year-old heroin smuggler sentenced to die Wednesday, another stay of execution after he tested positive for the coronavirus. It was not clear how he contracted COVID-19 or when he would return to court.
Nagaenthran, who has been on death row for 11 years for trafficking a small packet of heroin into Singapore, briefly appeared at the Court of Appeal today before he was taken away, according to reports.
The unexpected turn of events led the judges to decide not to allow the execution to go forward as planned.
Nagaenthran went to the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the high court’s decision to deny his appeal for clemency on the grounds of mental impairment. Nagaenthran is said to have an IQ of 69. His lawyer, M Ravi, has asked the court to commute his sentence to life.
Other stories:
Malaysian on death row granted stay of execution as case returns to apex court today
EU calls on Singapore to halt drug trafficker’s execution
‘Please don’t force them to bury him,’ families of condemned plea for Nagaenthran’s life
