Singapore court stays execution of Indian-origin man after he tests Covid positive

A COURT in Singapore on Tuesday (9) stayed the execution of a Malaysian man of Indian origin who has been convicted of drug trafficking after he tested positive for Covid-19.

The high court suspended the scheduled execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, 33, until an appeal was heard during an online hearing. He was to be hanged at Changi Prison for drug trafficking on Wednesday (10).

Dharmalingam has been on death row for 11 years and was produced at the Court of Appeal for the hearing of a last-ditch appeal against his death sentence, Channel News Asia reported.

He was later taken away and a judge told the court that the former had tested Covid positive.

Justice Andrew Phang, who appeared with fellow judges Judith Prakash and Kannan Ramesh, said, “this is rather unexpected.”  He also said that the court was of the view that it was not appropriate to proceed, “given the circumstances”.

“The execution is scheduled for tomorrow,” Justice Phang said.

“... If the applicant has been afflicted by Covid-19 ... it’s our view that the execution cannot take place anyway,” the judge said.

Justice Phang adjourned the hearing to a date yet to be fixed and stayed the execution until proceedings are concluded.

Lawyer M Ravi had taken up Dharmalingam’s case at the eleventh hour, ahead of his scheduled hanging on Wednesday. His court application on Monday (8) for a judicial review of the case on grounds of Dharmalingam’s purported mental disability was dismissed but the judge granted a temporary stay of his execution until after Ravi appealed against the dismissal.

No other details of when Dharmalingam tested positive for Covid-19 were given, according to the channel.

The man was sentenced to death in 2010 for importing 42.72 gram of heroin into Singapore in 2009 in a bundle-strapped to his thigh.

The case drew international attention as Dharmalingam’s impending execution neared, with an online petition against his death sentence drawing about 70,000 signatures as of Tuesday and coverage by international media.

Malaysia’s prime minister wrote to his Singapore counterpart on the matter and human rights groups, as well as Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, also weighed in on the issue.