Last-ditch bid to save Nagaenthran from gallows fails

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Court of Appeal has dismissed a legal challenge filed by Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s (pic) mother in a last-ditch attempt to set aside her son’s conviction and death sentence.

The decision seals the fate of the 34-year-old Malaysian who is scheduled to be executed today after the Court of Appeal upheld his death sentence last month.

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Panchalai Supermaniam filed the legal challenge for her son with the help of friends and activists and was not represented by any lawyer.

Earlier, during the hearing, Panchalai said via an interpreter: “I’m the mother. I made the petition. We want him back alive... We need to get lawyers for this case.”

She was accompanied by her niece Thenmoli Sunniah.

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The basis of the legal challenge is 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.

The hearing before three Justices namely Andrew Phang, Judith Prakash and Belinda Ang started at 2.30pm and adjourned about 30 minutes later before resuming at 4.30pm for the decision.

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After his mother’s application was dismissed, the court granted Nagaenthran to hold hands with his seven family members present at the courtroom.

Donning a purple prison uniform, Nagaenthran appeared calm while talking to his mother and family members.

Hailing from Perak, Nagaenthran was sentenced to death in 2010 for trafficking 42.72g of heroin into Singapore, which is known to have among the world’s toughest narcotics laws, a year earlier.

Nagaenthran’s case had drawn international attention.

On Nov 7 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had written to his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong seeking leniency in the case.

On Dec 3, Singapore President Halimah Yacob said Nagaenthran had been accorded full due process under the law.

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 tested positive for Covid-19 when he appeared for a last-bid attempt against his death sentence. — Bernama